Hunger
by halfbloodprincess91
Summary: all-human AU. Elena meets Damon the night of the accident on Wickery Bridge and she can't stop thinking about him. What secrets does this mysterious man have, and what's the deal between Stefan and Damon, and how does Katherine fit in all of it?
1. Prologue

**Well, that didn't take long. This will be a multi-chapter fic, I'm going to guess at around 100k words or so. i have it fully fleshed out, just have to write it. And I'm already nearly done with the first chapter. Reviews are a writer's lifeblood. ;)**  
 **Hope you guys enjoy, this is just a short prologue before the main event.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, if I did then delena would have already achieved their happy ending ;)**

"Katherine,"

Elena spun around to the mystery voice behind her. It was a tall man with dark, messy hair, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"Um, no." Elena said, confused. Why did this man think her name was Katherine? And where did he come from? She was in the middle of nowhere, having snuck away from a party at the Lockwood's old property. She had needed to get away from the party, mostly her boyfriend, Matt. He was a nice guy, incredibly sweet, and he would do anything for her. But she just wasn't feeling it anymore. She was beginning to feel trapped and smothered, and that just wouldn't do at her age.

"I'm Elena." She continued, glancing behind her towards the party, wondering if maybe he had followed her. Although he looked a little old for a high school post-pep rally party. Not too old, she guessed he may have been in his mid-twenties.

"Oh." He relaxed his face. "You just look…. I'm sorry." He apologized, starting to back away. She didn't know what it was about him, she didn't even know him. Just as she was about to say something, he started to come closer. "You just really remind me of someone…. I'm Damon." He smiled and straightened up, seeming to forget whoever she reminded him of.

He definitely intrigued her. He seemed different from all the guys she grew up with in this town. There was something mysterious, something different about him. But still, she was on a dark road outside of town, and she was a little suspicious even though something told her that she was safe with this man.

"Not to be rude Damon but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

The corner of his mouth rose in a smirk that she felt in the pit of her stomach. Who was he? Why was he out here? And why didn't she recognize him? She knew everyone in this town. And she would _definitely_ remember someone as attractive as the man standing in front of her.

"You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself."

"It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here." She shrugged her shoulders and gave a laugh. He really must be new to town, she thought to herself. Mystic Falls was the stereotypical small idyllic town-you could leave your doors unlocked, hardly any crime happened, and aside from the stray animal attack here and there, nothing bad ever happened. Sure, everyone knew everyone and nothing was private. But Mystic Falls was nothing if not safe.

He gave a slight nod, but said nothing else. She should have been alarmed, but for some reason she was compelled to say more. "I got into a fight with my boyfriend." She held up her phone to signal her reason for being out on the empty road.

"About what? May I ask?" He added quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. She didn't know why she wanted to tell him, she had no idea who he was or if she'd ever see him again. But she wanted to keep talking to him. She needed to keep talking to him.

She looked down for a moment and shook her head, not knowing where to begin. "Life," she sighed. "future…he's got it _all_ mapped out." She gave a wry smile, signaling her frustration with her situation. She should be happy with Matt, she knows that. He's never done anything to hurt her and he's been nothing but kind and sweet. But she was young, she didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know what she wanted next year, let alone after graduation. She was only 16, she just wanted to enjoy high school, enjoy her friends, and the cheerleading squad. Why couldn't he be happy with that, why did he need to have everything sorted out now?

"And you don't want it?" he guessed, giving her a knowing look.

She shrugged, "I don't know what I want."

"Well, that's not true." He tilted his head, as if he could see inside her. It both startled her and excited her. What did he know about her, and her life? He didn't know her, but she got the feeling that he knew exactly what she was feeling. "You want what everybody wants."

She smiled coyly, not sure what he was going to say next but wanting to know all the same. "What, mysterious stranger that has all the answers?" she challenged.

He chuckled and looked away, grinning. She didn't understand why, but something about his smile gave her a sense of excitement and danger that she hadn't felt before. Her life was safe, sometimes too safe, she thought. There was no adventure, no excitement in this town.

"Well let's just say I've been around a long time." He looked back at her. "I've learned a few things."

Oh, had he? She wondered what kind of things, and if she would ever find out.

"So, Damon," she continued with a brave front, hoping she could hide her nervousness. "Tell me. What is it that I want?" she knew they were flirting. Whether it was purely innocent or not was an entirely different question, and she knew she probably shouldn't be- she had a boyfriend and he was obviously older than her but she couldn't help it. Something about him kept drawing her closer, wanting to know more.

"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion." He stepped closer to her and she prayed he couldn't hear her heart racing. "And adventure, and even a little danger." He gave her a look that said he knew exactly where she could find those things.

"So, what do you want?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, a horn honked. They both glanced behind her to see a car pull up.

"It's my parents," Elena smiled wistfully, wishing she had been able to hear his answer. She didn't know why she wanted to know so badly, just that she needed to know. She turned back around to find that he had come even closer to her, he was close enough that if she just stood on her tiptoes she could almost-

"I hope you get everything you're looking for. Goodbye, Elena." He gave a smile as he walked away. Elena didn't know who he was, other than that his name was Damon. As she skipped to her parents' car, she hoped she would run into him again. If only to find his answer.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I know, I know, I said it'd only be a few days. And then college and real life blew up in my face! I hope this will tide you guys over until I can get the next chapter posted.  
This has been edited and proof read, but unbeta'ed. So if you guys know of any betas...feel free to send them my way! ;)**

It had been 4 months since that meeting on an empty road. 4 months since her life fell apart. If she had known what would happen she never would have gotten in the car. She never would have said goodbye to that mystery stranger. She never would have begged her parents to go to the bonfire with Matt, Bonnie, and Caroline. But she did. And her parents were dead. And her brother hated her.

Today was the first day of her junior year. She wanted to just stay in bed and hide under the covers. She wasn't ready to face everyone. She had managed to avoid everyone but Bonnie over the summer. She didn't want to see Caroline's perky smile fall at the sight of her and try to comfort her. She didn't want to deal with Matt's incessant questions about if they had a shot. And she _definitely_ didn't want to deal with the teachers and students giving her the pitying looks that she was bombarded with whenever she was unlucky enough to leave her house. She just wanted to wallow. But Bonnie was going to be at her house in half an hour to pick her up, so it was time for her to pick herself up. Today was going to be different. It had to be.

"Good morning, Aunt Jenna." Elena walked around the corner and saw her aunt getting ready frantically. She was eternally grateful to her aunt for stepping up and helping them out. She wasn't much older than Elena, just 24, and she was in college working on her thesis. But she had dropped everything to help Elena and Jeremy out, and was now living with them acting as their legal guardian. Not that Elena really needed one, she'd turned 17 in June, but she could really use the support, especially with her brother who had turned into a moody stoner in the months since they became orphans.

"Morning Elena. Are you ready for today?" Jenna smiled as she handed Elena a thermos of piping hot coffee just the way she liked it-lots of creamer with a little coffee.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I woke Jeremy up, he should be down soon." Elena said as she walked out of the kitchen, towards the front door. "See ya!" She called as she heard Bonnie honk. 

* * *

Elena stormed from the bathroom, frustrated beyond belief at her brother. She didn't know what else to do, she had spent the summer doing everything possible to pull him out of his funk. She invited him out with her friends, hung out with him at home when he refused to go out, and when he started staying out late and she suspected he was doing drugs she tried pulling the big sister card. But nothing got through, he was just cold to her. She figured he blamed her for their parents' death and she couldn't fault him for that. If she hadn't insisted on going out instead of hanging out with her family, if she hadn't had a fight with Matt and asked to be picked up early, there were so many what-ifs that would have saved her parents. She spent the first month after their death overwhelmed with guilt, most of which was spent at Caroline's as her mom took care of them until Jenna could transfer everything to Mystic Falls. And it was Sherriff Forbes that finally pulled her out of that hole of misery, telling her that she couldn't blame herself and that it's the last thing her parents would want. What ultimately got her attention was her younger brother. She was all he had left, and he was so young at 15. Sure, she was just 2 years older than him, but that was 2 more years that she got with her parents. She had to pull it together for Jeremy, if for no one else. But she had obviously been unsuccessful, as he's been hanging out with a new crowd, the kids that everyone whispers about over dinner at the Grill, behind closed doors, and at every town social, of which there were so many. He had become sullen and withdrawn, hiding out in his room on the few instances that he was home. Jenna had threatened to call the Sherriff on him, but he just glowered at her and walked away. At least now that they were back in school, she could keep an eye on him in between classes. And she meant it-she would be there to ruin his buzz every time.

She was so involved in thinking about Jeremy that she didn't notice the brooding stranger approaching her, and ran right into him.

"Oh-oh, I'm so sorry!" she cried, as she bent down to pick up her books that had scattered. He knelt to help her and met her gaze.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." His smooth voice murmured. He was gorgeous in a James Dean kind of way. There was something about him that seemed a bit dangerous, but not so much that it scared her. He was tall, dark-haired, and too handsome to have any right wandering the halls of a small town high school.

She slowly stood up, smiling. "You must be new here."

"Uh…yeah. How'd you know?"

"It's a small town. Everyone knows everyone here." Elena smiled warmly.

"Ah. I see. Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Stefan Salvatore." He extended his hand, returning the smile.

"Elena. Elena Gilbert." She said as she took the proffered hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Elena. Since I'm new here, would you mind showing me to…" he looked down at his schedule, "Mr. Saltzman's class?"

"Oh, sure! I have that class as well, follow me." She and Stefan headed down the hall towards their first period and they were almost there when she was halted by Caroline Forbes.

"Oh my God, Elena. How are you? Are you okay? How is your Aunt Jenna…?" Caroline trailed off as she saw Elena's new companion. "Hi, I'm Caroline." She giggled.

"I'm fine, Caroline. Thanks. This is Stefan, he's new here. I'm just showing him to history." Elena sighed, waiting for the one person who was too new to know anything around to give her the same pitying look Caroline had greeted her with.

"Hi, Stefan. If you have any questions let me know, I would be happy to answer them." She smiled sweetly, laying the charm on thick. When he nodded, she turned back to Elena.

"Are you sure? I know this summer has been so hard on you, and if I can do anything…"

"I will, thanks Caroline. But really, I'm okay." Elena insisted, as the bell rang. Caroline skipped off, waving goodbye and they continued to class.

"Is she always like that?" Stefan laughed. Elena sighed in relief, happy that he wasn't going to question her. She really wanted to get through today with as little talk of last May as she could.

"Uh yeah, that's Caroline for you. She's captain of the cheer squad so it kind of comes with the territory. She means well though."

She and Stefan took their spots in class, with Bonnie giving her an interested look from her right as Stefan sat to her left.

 _I'll explain later_ , Elena mouthed discreetly. Bonnie winked at her, understanding her in the way that only Bonnie could.

* * *

The rest of the school day went by relatively uneventful. There were a lot of "Oh, are you okay?" and "I'm so sorry for your loss" conversations, but Elena got through the day without any meltdowns. Stefan ended up having 2 other classes besides history with Elena, and Bonnie was making endless jokes and comments about the new guy.

"He's so hot, how can you think about anything else?" Bonnie gushed as they were heading home.

Elena laughed, rolling her eyes. "I told you, Bonnie, it's not like that. He's really nice but…a relationship is the last thing I need right now, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, don't be mad if I make a move on him because damn." Bonnie giggled.

Elena had to admit that Bonnie was right, but she just wasn't interested. Matt was still hanging around looking like an injured puppy, making her feel like a villain. She never had the heart to tell him that it wasn't solely her parents' death that caused her breakup, that she was doubting them before. She knew it wasn't fair because he was expecting her to start things back up again once her life went back to normal. And a small part of her thought that maybe, after she had some time, she would want to be with him again. But something had changed. She could not get the mysterious Damon out of her mind. She hadn't seen him again-not that she had spent a large amount of time outside her home this summer. And she tried to not think of that night too much-it was the night her parents died, after all. But something about him just kept her attention. She hoped that with school starting, and with it all the founding family traditions and parties, she would see him again.

That's why she agreed to go to the Grill with Caroline and Bonnie after school. They grabbed a booth in the middle of the restaurant and chatted about their classes.

"Matt is staring at you hardcore, Elena." Caroline whispered, glancing at the jocks gathered a few tables away. And she was right, Elena saw. Matt was ignoring the laughter going on at his table and was watching her like a hawk. "Do you think he's mad about the new guy?"

Elena looked down to avoid his gaze, staring intently at the menu as if she couldn't decide what she was going to get (but who was she kidding, she had been to this place so many times over her life she could recite the menu). "I don't know why he would be, it's not like I confessed my undying love for him in the middle of the hall." Elena smirked, knowing Caroline was a brilliant shade of red after her comment. Caroline wasn't shy by any means, and had boldly declared Stefan as her new man to her friends after she grilled him in algebra. Within 10 minutes she had found out that he was new to town, had lived here when he was younger but left after his parents had died, and was a Gemini (because according to Caroline, that was very important).

"Oh, hush. He's so hot, I couldn't help it! And something must have worked because he agreed to go to Tyler Lockwood's party tonight." Caroline announced, smug. Elena couldn't really blame her, she was beautiful and one of the friendliest girls in school, albeit a little on the bitchy side at times, but her crippling insecurity was her biggest downfall. She had an "American Girl" appeal that Elena and Bonnie lacked, but they made up for that in confidence, leading the guys Caroline was interested in to her friends. If Stefan took interest in Caroline, Elena would be happy for her.

"Oh, great." Elena and Bonnie teased in unison.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun! besides, everyone misses you!" Caroline cajoled. It was true, Elena went to nearly all the parties before last May. She wasn't a party girl, but she definitely knew how to have fun. And with the 3 girls being veterans on the cheer squad, they were always invited to everything. It had been a while since she had been out of the house for fun, what could it hurt?

* * *

Elena approached the old Lockwood party to see that a large crowd had already formed at it wasn't even 8:00 yet. She looked around to see if any of her friends had arrived. She had been texting with Caroline and Bonnie to coordinate outfits and they said they would be here, but it had been an hour since.

"Elena, you made it!" Caroline cheered. Elena turned around to see her best friend by the keg.

"I told you I would." Elena laughed, taking the beer that Caroline passed her. Caroline may be the daughter of the Sherriff but that didn't stop her from being at the center of any party thrown by a student in this town.

"Yeah, but- Stefan!" Caroline interrupted as she spotted him. Elena wasn't fooled by her feigned nonchalance. Caroline had been on the hunt for him since she had arrived. Knowing Caroline, she had probably been on the first to arrive to make sure she didn't miss him.

"Elena, Caroline." Stefan greeted with an easy smile. "Are they always like this?" He looked around them in amusement.

"It's early." Elena joked. "This is nothing. It's a small town, not much else to do but party. Wait until you see one during the weekend."

Stefan nodded in understanding. She had heard Caroline mention he was from Chicago, so this should seem like nothing to him. Elena had never been to a huge city like that-Mystic Falls was really all she knew.

"So, Stefan, tell us-how long have you been away from Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked, sidling closer to him.

"About 10 years. My brother moved us back here after he graduated from Northeastern."

"Oh, you have an older brother? Is he as handsome as you?" Caroline teased. Elena hoped that she didn't think she was being subtle. There was nothing subtle about Caroline Forbes. But Stefan seemed into her, so Elena guessed it didn't matter.

Stefan laughed awkwardly. "You would have to ask his many conquests. He's actually here tonight, he's too old for high school parties if you ask me, but it was the only way he'd let me be." He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

Elena smiled as he caught her eye and slowly backed away, leaving them be. She started to mingle with the crowd as she looked for Bonnie. After a few minutes, she gave up and headed to the outskirts of the property to call Bonnie and see where she was.

"Fancy running into you again." A faintly familiar voice interrupted her just as she pulled out her phone.

"Damon," she breathed, surprised. "I-I mean, your name is Damon, right?" she cleared her throat trying to save face. Like she'd forget his name, who was she fooling? But she could at least pretend she hadn't spent the summer thinking about him.

He chuckled. "Yes, Elena. But you didn't forget that, did you?" Damon's voice was soft and velvety, like chocolate or expensive wine that she snuck glasses of when her parents weren't watching. She probably looked like such an idiot to him. He was obviously older than her, and probably had girls falling over themselves all the time. But if she did, you couldn't tell from the look he was giving her, which said that he was enjoying this a little too much.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked as she let her hair fall in her face to mask the blush she hoped was too dark to see.

"My little brother dragged me." He shrugged, approaching her. "What are you doing here? Wait, let me guess! Another fight with the boyfriend?" he smirked. Elena wasn't sure, but it seemed like he was enjoying teasing her.

"Um, no." she stuttered as she slid her phone back in her pocket. "He and I broke up a few months ago, actually."

"Mmm." He nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, you're not." She blurted out. She covered her mouth as if she could take her words back. She was surely blushing now.

He seemed to consider it for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Yes, you're right." He admitted. "But neither are you." The smirk he gave hit her right in the stomach.

"I forgot, you're the wise stranger with all the answers." Elena crossed her arms.

"So, I was right, then? About what you want?" Damon asked, feigning innocence.

"I-I…I don't know about _that_." Elena admonished, faltering. She could fake confidence all day long, and it always worked. But something about Damon had her on guard. She didn't feel as if she was in danger, it was more that he was different than the boys she had grown up with. She didn't know quite how to respond to him.

Damon stepped closer to her, now close enough that if she stood on her toes she could reach up to kiss him. Her heart started to beat faster. "Are you sure?" There was no way he could hear her heart racing, right?

"Um…I-I think-" Elena started.

"Damon! What are you doing?"

Elena jumped and looked past Damon to see Stefan and Caroline. Stefan looked angry, Caroline looked confused.

"Hello brother." Damon greeted calmly, smirking.

"Wait, do you two…Damon is your older brother!?" Elena asked disbelieving.

"You two know each other?" Stefan and Caroline asked in unison.

"Yeah, I met him at the last pep rally last year." Elena said slowly. She wondered why it was so important. Why did Stefan seem so angry?

"You didn't mention meeting Elena." Stefan ground out between his clenched jaw.

"Calm down, Stefan. Why does it matter?" Caroline placed her hand on Stefan's bicep.

"Will someone just tell me what's going on here?" Elena yelled, exasperated. She looked from Stefan's stony expression to Damon's relaxed posture. She didn't know whose side she was on just yet, but she wanted to get down to the bottom of whatever was happening.

"Stefan is my younger brother, Elena." Damon said.

"Much younger." Stefan added as he glared at Damon.

"Elena, maybe we should…" Caroline trailed off as she signaled that they should make a quick exit and let the brothers handle whatever _this_ was.

"Yeah, um…it was nice to see you again, Damon." Elena glanced at Damon once more. He smiled down at her and she got the feeling that she'd be seeing him again. And soon. She hoped whatever was going on between the brothers wasn't terrible, Stefan was so nice and Damon was…. well, interesting to say the least.

Elena let Caroline pull her back towards the party as the brothers started to talk heatedly.

"-I know she's not, Stef." Elena heard Damon say before Caroline had her far enough away.

"Well, I don't know what that was all about." Caroline laughed the situation behind them off. "You never mentioned him, Elena. I don't know about you, but he seems hard to forget."

"I didn't forget." Elena sighed. "I was just…. there was a lot going on. I met him the night of the car crash."

"Oh." Caroline halted. "What is his deal?"

Elena shrugged as they reached the large crowd. Many more cars had shown up in her absence and the music was thumping and people were dancing everywhere. "I don't know. I met him when I had walked away to call my mom to pick me up. After the fight with Matt. And…. he was nice, but a bit strange. He confused me for someone else at first. We talked and then my mom got there. That was it."

"Well, he's freaking gorgeous! I don't blame you for keeping him to yourself!" Caroline giggled.

The rest of the party went by uneventful. Elena and Caroline finally met up with Bonnie, and they spent the rest of the time talking about Caroline and Stefan until the cops came and broke up the party, sending everyone home. Elena knew they hadn't seen the last of the Salvatore brothers and she had a feeling that things were just about to get interesting in Mystic Falls.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: This was written before last night's finale, obviously. The next chapter will probably be a little delayed-most of it is written, but I need a few days to clear my head after last night's heartbreaking episode. 3  
This chapter is a bit longer, I wrote it in one sitting and it just flowed. We're getting to the fun stuff now! Hope you guys enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback!**

"Hey Elena, about last night- "Elena held up her hand to stop Stefan.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain. Whatever is going on sounds like a family issue."

Stefan had cornered her at her locker the following morning, looking a little worse for wear. She, Caroline, and Bonnie had returned home before midnight, allowing them to get plenty of sleep but it looked as if the same was not true for Stefan.

"No, it's…. look, I'm sorry if I ruined the night. Caroline told me you hadn't been out in a while." Stefan apologized.

"No, you didn't. "Elena reached up to squeeze Stefan's arm. "How did things go with Caroline before? You two seemed to really hit it off."

"Uh, yeah. She's great. Chatterbox, but adorable." Stefan grinned and looked down to hide his red face. Elena was happy to see that reaction. Caroline was one of the most endearing people Elena had met, albeit a little vain at times. They had been friends since first grade, and that meant a lot to Elena.

Elena shut her locker after grabbing her books and was about to turn towards class when Stefan stopped her.

"Hey, I know my brother can be smooth and charming, but just….be careful, okay?" Stefan had an intense look on his face, brow furrowed with his mouth turned down in a small frown.

"I will, Stefan. We've just had two 5-minute conversations. I don't see wedding bells in our future or anything." Elena gave a small laugh, trying to ease the tension.

"Okay…Yeah, okay. Sorry, Elena. I didn't mean-It's just that Damon has a way-Never mind." He crossed one arm to hug the other as his frown deepened.

"Relax, Stefan." Elena smiled and she pulled on his arm to follow her to class. He shook off his worry and grinned. He swung his arm around her shoulders casually and they headed to history. But for as carefree as Elena seemed, she kept Stefan's words in the back of her head. Should she be more cautious about Damon? She made a note to dive into the conversation about him later.

* * *

Stefan walked into the house, throwing his bag on the foyer table before heading to the kitchen. It had been a good week-he made friends with Elena, Caroline, and several of their friends. Elena's ex-boyfriend Matt had urged him to try out for the football team, especially after he realized Stefan was interested in Caroline, not Elena, and Bonnie had warmed up to him especially. Tyler Lockwood was a bit standoffish, but Stefan chalked that up to how well he fit in with everyone so quickly. Tonight was his date with Caroline and he was happy to end a great week on a good note.

"Hey little bro. How was your week?" Damon walked into the room as Stefan bent down to get a drink out of the fridge.

"Good." He replied stonily.

"You're still pissed with me, then?" Damon asked, leaning against the counter, and crossing his arms.

"You still interested in Elena?" Stefan shot back quickly, raising his brows as a challenge.

"Why are you so worried, don't you have a date with Blondie later?"

"Her parents just died, Damon. Let her be. She doesn't need your complication right now." Stefan sighed as he straightened up to leave. He wasn't in the mood for his older brother's antics today. Or any day, really, but especially not today.

"Why don't you let her decide that for herself, Stefan?" Stefan headed upstairs, his brother's voice fading in the distance.

* * *

Damon poured himself a healthy 4 fingers of bourbon. Tensions had been high in the house since they had returned to Mystic Falls and he was relieved to get a break from it with Stefan being gone. He had told him, albeit snarkily, not to wait up for him. Not that Damon had any intentions to, Stefan wasn't a child. Well, technically he was. But they had been living as adults for a while now and even if they didn't see eye-to-eye, Damon knew Stefan was capable of taking care of himself. Not that he should have to, but with the only parental figure they had dying when he was only 7 and an older brother who tried his best, but was rebellious and tied up in his own issues, Stefan learned to watch out for himself first and foremost.

Damon was about to sit down to enjoy his drink when the doorbell rang.

"Shit," he sighed. No one knew where they lived-unless Stefan had handed his address out, which was unlikely-and Damon hadn't talked to anyone in town.

He opened the door and smirked when he saw who it was. "Hello, Elena."

"Um, hi." She smiled shyly. She held up a book. "Is um, Stefan here? He loaned me this and I was supposed to give it back today…"

"Come in," he stepped aside, and waved towards the sitting room. This was going to be fun. He could tell she was nervous, and it was quite adorable.

"Oh, um, okay." Elena smiled nervously, a slight tremble in her voice that Damon took close note of.

"Would you like a drink, Elena?" Damon offered, as he held up his glass.

"Oh, I'm not old enough- "Elena stammered, waving her hand.

"That's not what I asked." Damon smiled, inwardly laughing at her answer that was appropriate for a family gathering, which was not what was happening here.

Elena took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure." He knew it wasn't the first time she had snuck alcohol, he saw the beer in her hand the other night, so he didn't feel too bad about supplying a minor. She was going to do it, so she may as well do it in a controlled environment where she would be safe.

Damon poured a much smaller amount into a glass and handed it to her while he sat down and motioned for her to sit beside him.

"So, I'm sure you've guessed by now that Stefan is not here." Damon commented.

Elena waited a moment before answering and took a sip of her drink, coughing at its strength. Damon took the glass from her as she leaned forward and set it on the table before placing a hand between her shoulders. "Sorry, it's a bit strong."

"I can get you something else," he moved to stand up but she laid her hand on his arm, smiling gently.

"No, it's okay, thank you." Elena declined. "So, you said Stefan wasn't here? Do you know when he will be back?"

"He left not too long ago, he was going out with your friend. Feel free to wait here though." Damon responded, leaning back on the couch comfortably. He hoped she would. Regardless of what his younger brother said, he was interested in this young woman and wanted to know more about her. When he first saw her, she reminded him so much of _Katherine_. Once she turned around and he realized that she wasn't Katherine, he felt foolish, there was no way Katherine knew where they had moved to, but he was also fascinated. It was immediately apparent that she was nothing like the cruel, calculatingly manipulative she-devil that was his ex. She was innocent, friendly, and vibrant.

"If I'm not interrupting anything…" Elena replied, unsure. _One point for Damon_ , he thought to himself triumphantly.

"Of course not." He grinned, brushing his hand across her shoulder lightly.

"So, Damon," Elena reached for her drink again and settled into the couch, leaning against his arm that was draped across the back of the couch, "what brought you back to Mystic Falls? Stefan mentioned you two grew up here?"

"Yeah, we were both born here, our dad moved us to Chicago after our mother passed away when we were kids." Damon paused to take another drink. It had been a decade since his mother had died, which made it easier to talk about but didn't make him miss her any less.

"I'm sorry," Elena murmured sympathetically.

Damon shrugged her off. "It's been a long time, it's okay. We missed our home though. Chicago was nice, but different. And a strange place for kids to grow up. We lived right in the city, our father was a lawyer. He wasn't home much, which was a good thing, so I took most of the responsibility of taking care of Stefan until I headed to college. I don't think he ever really forgave me for leaving him with our father, but he always favored Stefan so I figured it was okay. Besides, I was putting myself through school so that I could get us out of there."

"Was your father…mean?" Elena questioned. "I'm sorry, that's personal, I'm sure. You don't have to answer that-" She immediately backtracked. Damon leaned closer and laid a finger over her lips.

"Calm down, Elena. It's okay." He chuckled teasingly. He didn't normally like to talk about his father, and he wasn't going to share any more, but he was glad she was asking questions-it meant she was interested, and he definitely had no problems with that.

She remained unmoving until he relaxed and pulled his finger away, and exhaled sharply.

"You don't have to apologize for anything." He reassured. "Besides, I want to know more about you. What is there to know about Elena Gilbert?" he asked before standing up to make himself another drink.

"Well," she started as he handed him her glass when he motioned for it, "I've lived in Mystic Falls my whole life. I have a younger brother and we live with our Aunt Jenna. I was on the cheer squad until…well, until this year." She quickly caught herself. From the small bits that he had gathered, her parents had passed away but he wasn't sure on the timeline, although he was relatively certain it was her parents who had picked her up the night he met her, so it had to be somewhat reason. That was a good reason to not bring it up, if she wanted to talk about it she would.

"That's pretty much it." She finished lamely as she stood up to take the refilled drink.

This time Damon had mixed some soda in to dilute it. No sense in her getting drunk. If Stefan was angry about him even talking to Elena, he sure wouldn't like coming home to a drunk Elena. Not that Damon really cared if his brother was happy with him, but he didn't want him going off to her best friend. That would surely complicate matters.

"I don't believe that for one second." Damon taunted as he stepped closer to her. "But if that's all you want to share, I'll take it."

Elena stood up straighter, throwing her shoulders back and chest out. "Well, you have all the answers. And seem to know more about me than I do, so enlighten me." She dared before downing her drink.

"Whoa, there killer." Damon laughed, moving to take the drink from her. "Just because I mixed it doesn't mean you get to suck it down."

She pulled her arm back quickly, just out of his reach. "Oh yeah?" she was taunting him. _Well_ , he thought, _two can play at that game_. He took a chance and leaned forward to place a kiss on her lips. She froze for a split second before relaxing into the kiss. Just enough for her to get distracted so he could reach around and grab her glass. She tore away from him abruptly, feigning outrage.

"Cheater!" She exclaimed, giggling.

He knew it had been a tossup, going for a kiss like that, but luck was with him in that moment. He stared at her, waiting to see what she would do next. The lighthearted grin slowly slid off her face as she darted her tongue out to lick her lips. Her chest was heaving, her body trembling. It looked as if she was using all her effort to avoid touching him. He reached a hand out to tuck a lock of her long hair behind her ear and her breath hitched as he brushed a finger against her cheek. She stepped infinitesimally closer, hypnotized by his movements, and just barely pressed herself against his chest and that was all he needed. His hands flew to her waist, holding her in place. She was so small, so perfectly fit in his hands as his fingers curled around her, fingertips pressing into her hips. She let out the tiniest of moans, so subtle he would have missed it if he wasn't so tuned in to her every movement. She tasted exquisite, like vanilla and cherry with just a hint of his top shelf bourbon. She wound her arms around him, linking them at the nape of his neck as his hands explored every wonderful inch of her hips and back. He cursed the thin material of her dress that was the only thing separating his skin from hers. The feel of her tantalizing curves pressed against the length of his body was enough to make any man die happy, and as much as he would love to take all that she would give him, he was happy enough to just have her in his arms for the rest of his existence. She hesitantly opened her mouth for him, and he eagerly took the bait. He slowly backed her to the couch, gently coaxing her to lay down as he settled over her, shielding her from everything that wasn't him. She parted her legs, allowing him to sink between them, and it took everything for him to keep a flimsy grasp on his control when she wrapped them around his hips and squeezed, grinding their pulsating cores together.

He would shoot himself in the foot for this later, but knowing it was the correct thing to do, he pulled away to pause their voracious assault.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, because you better fucking believe that I am," Damon panted, "it might be a good idea for us to slow down." He took in her bright eyes, swollen and deliciously red lips, and stole one last glance at her heaving chest, straining to be released from her dress. Yes, he _was_ a saint, thank you very much. Any other man with as beautiful and tempting a woman as the one under him would be sane enough to continue, but his brother's words kept echoing in his head. _She's had a rough time, she doesn't deserve this right now._ And Stefan may be right, but damn if he wasn't unnervingly infatuated with this girl. After Katherine, he had been careful to keep his emotions under wrap, never getting involved, never getting attached. He'd be damned before he let another selfish bitch worm her way into his life again. But Elena was different. Maybe it was her youth, maybe it was her lack of cynicism, but she was different than the sorority girls and fresh-out-of-college, uninspired, shiftless women that so often threw themselves at him.

"Yeah, you might be right." Elena laughed, out of breath. "Sorry," she looked down as she sat up and swung her feet around to sit upright.

"No. Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong." Damon stressed, gently tilting her head up to look him in the eyes. "But you've had a bit to drink, we both have, but I have a feeling I'm better equipped to handle my liquor, which places responsibility on me."

"Okay, okay." Elena held her hands up in protest. "You're probably right. I should probably head home soon, before my aunt gets too worried. I just told her I was dropping off something." Elena brushed at the skirt of her dress, straightening out the wrinkles.

"Can I at least feed you before you leave, try to sober you up a bit? Don't want you getting in trouble with your aunt." Damon offered, suddenly sad at the thought of Elena leaving.

"Oh, that's very kind of you, but you don't- "Elena gracefully declined his offer, but Damon interrupted her.

"I insist, it's the least I could do. And I hardly get to cook anymore, with the move and Stefan being preoccupied with settling in. Unless you don't want to…" he added on, trying not to seem pushy. He didn't want to scare her off, just give her a reason to prolong her stay. And he was right, her aunt was bound to see the effect of the bourbon and Damon on her as soon as she walked in the door. Dinner would give her some time to compose herself and sober up completely.

"Well, if you insist." She inclined her head and gave a pleasant smile. He held out his hand and led her to the kitchen.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" she spun around, looking around the kitchen in awe. "I mean, most of the houses just outside of town are decent, but this is another level."

Damon chuckled at her reaction, and took advantage of her momentary distraction to admire her. She really was beautiful. He knew he shouldn't be as attracted to her as he was-she was quite a few years younger than his 25 years, but not out of the realm of possibility. Her hair fell around her bare shoulders in a dark curtain, framing her heart-shaped face perfectly. Her looks were a mix between classic and exotic-she had well-defined lips, her bottom fuller than the top lip, and defined cheekbones but her olive skin and lusciously thick hair separated her from ordinary beauty.

"Damon, what is it?" Elena looked down self-consciously. Shit, she had caught him staring.

"Just admiring." He smirked. "So," he clapped his hands together, "how do you feel about pasta?"

* * *

Elena knew Damon's presence was a possibility when she went over to return Stefan's book, but if someone had told her she'd drink, flirt, and have the hottest make out session of her life with Damon Salvatore, she would have laughed in their face. Elena Gilbert rarely drank, and she _never_ spontaneously made out with guys whom she wasn't attached to. And especially not with _older_ guys. Sure, she had kissed a few boys in her lifetime, namely her ex-boyfriend Matt (and Tyler Lockwood during a round of Spin the Bottle in 7th grade), but they were different. She had been dating Matt since she was 15, and had known her entire group since first grade. She grew up with these people, knew them as well as she knew her family. But Damon, he was a complete stranger. Sure, Stefan was great and she was growing to trust and consider him a good friend, but she had only talked to Damon a few times, and their talks were always interrupted.

As she sat on a bar stool and watched Damon at work (who makes pasta from _scratch_!? Who was this man?), she thought back on the warning Stefan gave her and if she was confused then, well she was perplexed now. Damon was mysterious, exciting, and charming. But she saw no reason to be cautious, as Stefan warned. Was it just because he was older, and would assume things from her that she didn't have to give? She didn't think that was it-Damon knew she was in high school. And she knew it wasn't a jealousy thing from Stefan, he was smitten with her best friend. She decided to let it go for the time, she wasn't one to be persuaded easily and she was mature enough to make her own choices. Besides, why should she listen to someone that just walked into her life over her own intuition? No, Elena decided, she would figure this out for herself.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Damon glanced up from the tomato that he was dicing.

Elena gave her head a tiny shake to clear her thoughts and come back to the present, where an unbelievably handsome man was making _her_ dinner. "Just in my head. Nothing important." She smiled and rested her chin on her hand. "You're good at this." She said, nodding to his handiwork laid out on the counter and stove.

He gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'm Italian, comes with the territory. And I doubt anything that you spend that much brainpower on is unimportant." He teased with a grin.

"Well," Elena started, sitting up straight. She wasn't sure if this would ruin the mood they had established, but she wanted to know, "I just wondered if it bothered you-my age, that is. I mean, you mentioned you took care of Stefan when he was a kid, so…I don't know, I just wondered if it was weird, that I'm the same age."

Damon glanced at her but continued to plate the meal, taking his time to answer her question. She sucked in a breath and bit her lip, anxious that his silence meant she had broken the charade. Maybe he was trying to forget how young she was, and he didn't appreciate being reminded.

He walked around the bar and sat the plates down in front of them, taking a seat beside her.

"No. Frankly it doesn't." he sighed, and she let out a whoosh of air she had been holding. "I've dated a lot of women, Elena. All of them my age, give or take a year or two. Obviously, it didn't work out." He motioned around them to make a point. "You are beautiful, intelligent, and spirited- and on top of all that humble. That's a rare combination. But I'm well aware of your age, I don't expect anything of you, I'm not asking you to date me, and I'm aware that you probably haven't had a man show you attention and dote on you like you deserve. That said, I do enjoy your presence and I am attracted to you."

Elena thought about what he said while she took a bite of her food. "Thank you, Damon. For everything, the food is delicious."

Damon nodded in acceptance. "Good."

* * *

"So, how was your date?" Elena teased Caroline as they, along with Bonnie, sat down at a table outside the Grill.

"It was good." Caroline picked up her menu. "He took me to Lynchburg and we had dinner at a bistro with a live band."

"Lucky girl!" Bonnie was impressed. "Did he ask you on a second date?"

"Yeah, he wants to go up to the Falls next Sunday." Caroline beamed as the waiter came to get the girls' orders.

"Well, I'm happy for you Care." Elena said in support of her friend. "Stefan seems like a good guy."

"Speaking of, did he ever explain what happened the other night at Tyler's party?" Caroline questioned.

"Wait, what? What happened?" Bonnie's eyes darted between her two friends.

"Oh my god, it was so weird, Bon!" Caroline's eyes widened in excitement. Caroline, always for the gossip and drama.

Elena went to explain the chain of events to Bonnie, beginning with the night she met Damon last spring. If they thought this was interesting, she couldn't wait to spill about what she was up to while Caroline was out on her date. "And yes, Caroline, he came up to me the next day and apologized, but warned me to be careful. I'm not sure why, I went over to Stefan and Damon's to return Wuthering Heights, and Damon invited me in and we talked and he made me dinner."

"Details!" Bonnie cried.

"Well, we sat down and he offered me a drink. He talked about why they moved here, and a little about his childhood. And um…. wekindamadeout." Elena rushed, blushing fiercely.

"Elena Gilbert!"

"You did not! How was it?"

"It was incredible, to be honest. He's so different from our friends. We kissed, and at first it was a joke, he did it to distract me and take my drink. But then it became serious and pretty heavy, until he stopped it. I'd had a few drinks, and so he offered to make me dinner before I went home. And he was just…. _perfect_." Elena had a wide grin by the end of her explanation, reliving the night. She thought about Damon the whole way home, all the way until she finally fell asleep. When she woke up she was sad they hadn't thought to exchange numbers, but that was probably a good thing. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was some clingy, love-struck teen (even though that's exactly what she felt like).

"So, are you guys going to like, date?" Caroline leaned in closer, anxious for more information.

"I don't know! I don't even know him that well!" Elena took a sip of her coffee. "He wasn't freaked by our age difference, but I doubt he's into all the high school stuff. I'm sure the Decades Dance is the last thing he'd want to do."

"Yeah, I would imagine so. He's probably really sophisticated, goes to bars and clubs and drinks fancy liquor and all that." Bonnie pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Not that it's a bad thing!" she corrected, "Just different. But maybe that's what you need, Elena. You've had a rough couple of months. Maybe Damon, even if you should be careful, is just what you need."

The girls continued their breakfast talking about classes, dates, and what they planned to wear to the upcoming Founder's Party. She usually didn't care about the town events, mainly because there seemed to be one just about every week, but the Historical Society had been her mom's pet project so she felt it was her responsibility to uphold her mom's traditions and obligations. The girls parted ways and Elena headed home, hoping to get some homework done and Damon off her mind.

* * *

Damon strolled down the stairs, in a better mood than he had been in a while. He'd had a much better night than he had anticipated, and he was hopeful that he would see Elena again, and soon. He entered the kitchen to see his brother making coffee.

"Hello, little brother. How was your date last night?" Damon greeted as he grabbed a mug, tossing it in the air playfully before catching it to pour his favorite morning beverage.

"You're chipper." Stefan narrowed his eyes, suspicious at his brother's mood. Damon wasn't nearly as brooding as Stefan, but he was never a carefree man-their childhood had robbed him of that.

"I am, brother. Elena came over last night." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. He knew that Stefan would lose his temper at that, but he did take pleasure in goading his younger sibling occasionally. Especially when said sibling was being a dick.

"What did you do?" Stefan growled, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his mug.

"Relax, brother. She came by to drop off your book, I invited her in, and she agreed. Believe it or not, Stefan, some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my charm, and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift." Damon sauntered over to Stefan with a cocky smile, far too pleased with himself.

"Stay away from her, Damon." Stefan warned dangerously.

Damon narrowed his eyes, confused. He wasn't sure why his brother was so adamant that he needed to leave Elena alone. Damon had dated many girls, albeit casually, and Stefan had never had such a reaction. There was something Stefan wasn't telling him, and he was determined to get the truth out.

"Look, Stef," Damon said in a rare display of complete honesty, "I know we have our differences, and I know you still hate me for Chicago. But Elena isn't like Katherine, or any of the other women I dated. I'm not going to treat her like that."

Stefan scoffed. "Yeah, I fucking know you won't. If you refuse to listen to me, I will make _sure_ you can't touch Elena."

Damon took a step towards his younger brother. "Let me remind you, dear brother, that _I_ am the older sibling here, I am your _only_ legal guardian, and _I_ am the reason you have a roof under your head. I understand if my being close to Elena concerns you, but don't you _dare_ threaten me."

Damon stormed out of the room. He let his brother give him a lot of shit, mostly because he knew just how many ways he had fucked up when it came to Stefan in the past, and Stefan could hate him all he wanted, he could ignore and glare at Damon all he wanted. But damn it, Stefan was going to treat Damon with at least a bit of decency.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so I didn't need as much time to get over the finale as I thought I did. It was Spring Break for me, so I was able to get a loooot written. This one is long, and I know Elena doesn't have a lot of answers just yet, but this and the next few chapters are content-heavy, so we're getting there, I promise! Huge shoutout to those of you who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story, it truly does mean the world to me!** 😊 

**Chapter 3**

"Jeremy!" Elena yelled through the bathroom door. "I swear if you don't get out in 10 minutes- "she banged on the door. She needed to meet with Mrs. Lockwood in an hour, but that wasn't going to happen if Jeremy took his sweet time in their shared bathroom.

"Bite me!" Jeremy called. Elena huffed and threw her hair up in a messy bun. Hopefully she didn't run into anyone important. Her casual look of cutoff shorts, old t-shirt, and day-old hair would have to do. She bolted downstairs, picked up the box of old Gilbert family heirlooms, and headed to the Mayor's house.

When she pulled in to their massive drive, she noticed that she was the last one to arrive. "Wonderful," she mumbled to herself, hoisting the box up and kicking her door shut with her foot. Mayor Lockwood and his wife were nice enough people, although a bit snobby. But that came with the territory of being one of the Founding Families. It was an elite club, not open to everyone, and with that came a well-developed sense of entitlement. Elena's parents had raised her with enough sense to understand that just because her family had lived in Mystic Falls, and afforded Jeremy and herself certain privileges, it didn't mean that she was more important than anyone else.

She was just about to lose her grasp on the box when arms came out to support the box and take it off her hands. "Let me take that."

Elena was startled to see Damon on the other side of the box. Feeling that he had a good grasp on the box, she let go, her hands flying up to smooth any flyaways she might have.

"Wh-what are you doing here Damon?" She stammered.

"Same reason you are, I suspect." He smirked. "The Salvatores were a founding family."

"Oh. Duh." Elena hit her forehead. She had learned of the town's history, and of the contributions of the Fell, Forbes, Gilbert, Lockwood, and Salvatore families. "I don't usually go to the unofficial meetings, but the Historical Society was my mom's pet project."

"I have some old belongings of my father's that has been in the family for generations. Stefan and I have no desire to keep them, so I'm donating them. But I'm sure while I'm here I will get wrapped into every event from now until 2020." Damon chuckled.

"Yeah, they have a way about that." Elena nodded as they walked up the steps. She held the door open as he carried in her things and placed them on the entry table along with the other contributions. They walked into the sitting room where Sherriff Forbes, Mayor and Mrs. Lockwood, Logan Fell, and a few other notable members of the town were gathered.

"Elena, I'm so happy you could make it!" Mrs. Lockwood pulled her into a hug. "Your mother lived for the Historical Society, she would be so happy to know you were taking her place." She turned to Damon. "And Mr. Salvatore, thank you for your donations, they are very much appreciated."

"Anytime, Mrs. Lockwood." Damon gave a gracious smile. The adults went back to their chatter, leaving Elena alone with Damon.

"So, how is Mystic Falls treating you? Are you getting settled in okay?" Elena asked conversationally.

"Yep. I bought the bar in town. As much fun as it was living off the trust fund, I figured I should save some for Stefan." He winked at Elena.

"Wow, that's awesome! Is that what you got your degree in at Northeastern? Business?" Elena guessed. Damon was becoming more impressive by the minute.

"Business and finance, yes. It was my compromise with my father-he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I didn't have an interest in Law. Business was a close second for him, I think because he hoped I'd at least go into Business Law." A dark looked passed over Damon's face, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared.

"Damon!" Logan Fell approached them, extending his hand to Damon. "Long time, no see! Sorry to hear about your old man, but word is it wasn't the worst thing in the world." He gave a pompous smile. Elena didn't know Logan too well, but he was Aunt Jenna's high school ex and Jenna was not too fond of him.

"Yeah, well," Damon said in a diplomatic tone, "it is what it is. Surprised to still see you around here, all you talked about when we were kids is how badly you wanted to leave Virginia."

Elena tuned out their conversation, knowing Logan's answer. She glanced towards the adults in the other room and noticed Mrs. Lockwood and Mrs. Fell watching them and whispering to each other. She wondered if they were talking about Damon and her, and if so, then why? She turned back to Damon's conversation and heard Logan whisper, "I heard that you got engaged a while back. What happened?"

Wait, Damon had been _engaged_? Was he still engaged? Was he married? No, he had told her the other night that none of his past relationships had worked out. Elena went back to what Stefan said. He had warned her that Damon could be charming, but what was the other thing he had said? She couldn't remember.

Damon glanced at her and sighed heavily before answering, "Um, it was a long time ago. But you know what, it's in the past." He clapped Logan on the back, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Yeah, okay, well hey-give me a call sometime, we'll get a drink and catch up." Logan said before walking away.

"What was that all about?" Elena asked, looking up at Damon's face, noticing his furrowed brows and mouth twisted into a frown. He cleared his face and looked down at Elena, brushing a stray curl that had escaped her bun behind her ear.

"You wanna go outside?" he gave a tight smile, holding out his hand. Elena looked down, contemplating for a moment. She really did want to know more, but she didn't want to give Mrs. Lockwood even more to gossip about.

"Yeah, sure." She took his hand and let him lead her outside. They sat down on a stone bench in the gardens beyond the house. He turned towards her.

"I'm sure Stefan has talked to you. I'm not sure what, or how much, he has told you. But I'll explain because I can tell by the look on your face that you are confused, and worried. And I don't want you to be. At least not when it comes to me."

Elena opened her mouth to tell him that he didn't have to say anything, but he held up his hand. "Let me say this, Elena. Let me just get this out, and then I'll let you say whatever it is that you want. Okay?"

She nodded in agreement.

"Okay so, I dated a woman while I was in college, Katherine. I met her when I was 18, and we were together for several years. I _did_ propose to her, but it didn't work out. It was a long time ago, we haven't been together in 3 years, and I haven't spoken to or seen her in a year." Damon explained. He swallowed audibly and met Elena's eyes, imploring.

"I…I remember that name." Elena tried to place it. It was no mistake that she'd heard that name before, and she was almost certain it was from him. Then she remembered, when he met her he had mistaken her as Katherine. "You thought I was Katherine when you first saw me. Do I look like her?" Elena felt her eyes burning. It all made sense now. Damon was only interested in her because of her resemblance to his ex. Who he had wanted to marry. Why else would a gorgeous man like him be interested in a 17-year-old girl? Stefan's reaction at Tyler's party, and his words to her the following morning, made perfect sense now. He just wanted to protect her, to make sure she didn't get hurt.

"Elena, no, no. Please don't cry." Damon pleaded. "Shit, I'm sorry, I know I should have told you sooner, I just…. fuck." He moved to grab her hands and she pulled away abruptly, standing up as she wrapped her arms around her middle. She bit her lip to try to contain some of her emotion. She didn't want to embarrass herself and cry, not in front of him. She felt so foolish.

"Listen to me, Elena. Yes, you do look like Katherine. But that is all. I swear. I first spoke to you because I was fascinated, but as soon as you opened your mouth that's where the resemblance stopped. You are nothing like her, you are kind and generous and funny. You are the opposite of Katherine!" Damon rushed, standing up.

"But don't I remind you of her?" Elena whispered, her voice cracking on the last word. She peered up at him through her lashes, anxious of what she would find on his face. His face was twisted in shame.

"No. You are so different from her, you are so kind, and she was a monster. I am so, so sorry." She allowed him to pull her into a hug as a sob escaped from her chest. His arms rubbed her back gently, in an apology for the pain he had caused her. "Believe me when I say it is you that I want, and not her. Never her."

Elena allowed him to hold her for a few moments as she calmed down. Finally, once her heart had stopped racing and the tears had stopped streaming down her throat she gently pulled away.

"I believe you." She reached up to place a kiss on his lips. "Is Katherine why Stefan warned me about you?"

Damon was silent for a moment, his lips pursed in deep thought. "Yes, I think so. But you have nothing to worry about."

Elena nodded, satisfied with his answer. She encircled her arms around his chest and tucked her head under his chin, comfortable. "Do you want to go to the Founder's Party with me Saturday?" Elena asked in a quiet voice.

Damon pulled away to look Elena in the eyes. "I would love to. Besides," he started to grin, "I look great in a tux. There's no way you'll be able to resist me."

Elena laughed and slapped him on the chest, glad for the break in tension. She hated these events, but with Damon by her side the evening would be much more bearable.

* * *

"Look at you, all happy-ish." Bonnie commented as she sorted through her makeup bag.

"I am…ish." Elena sat down and laid her hands out for Bonnie to paint her nails. "Tonight is going to be a good night. But don't stop that from telling me whatever it is you wanted to tell me the second you walked in the door." She narrowed her eyes, signaling for Bonnie to spill whatever was on her mind. They did not keep secrets from one another, not ever.

Bonnie sighed and laid the nail polish to the side, looking at Elena in the eye. "Okay, but it has to go in the vault. Caroline will kill me if it gets back to Stefan that she squealed." Elena gave her a look and Bonnie continued. "Apparently, Damon has a very interesting back story."

"Don't we all." Elena mused, glancing down at her hands. If anyone understood baggage it was her. Two dead parents? Check. Being the reason said parents are dead? Check. Complicated brother with issues? Got em.

"Do you know about their dad, what happened with his ex-girlfriend Katherine?" Bonnie tried to gauge just how much Elena knew.

"I know that she resembled me. The night Damon and I first met he thought I was Katherine at first. And I know he dated her before he moved back here." Elena wondered what Bonnie wasn't telling her, what Stefan had told Caroline that Damon hadn't thought to share with her.

"Yeah, he dated her. They were together for 4 years, and he wanted to marry her. Stefan told Caroline that the night Damon was going to propose, Katherine told him that she never loved him, that she was only with him out of pity. He said that Damon went off the deep end and lost it-he started drinking. And then Katherine came to Stefan one night and confessed that she had stayed with him out of fear, that Damon had become violent. After that there was a lot of drama between Damon and Katherine."

"That…. doesn't sound like Damon." Elena scoffed. She had only spent a limited amount of time with Damon, but he had been so sweet and gentle. He didn't seem capable of anything Bonnie was describing to her.

"I mean, I trust your judgement, Elena. But how well do you really know him?" Bonnie was skeptical. She was definitely the "big sister" of the group, always looking out for Caroline and Elena and their best interests. She didn't interfere much, which meant when she did she felt it was important.

"I just think maybe Stefan is telling his side. We only know one side of the story." Elena said, determined to believe that there was some sort of miscommunication. She didn't want to believe that Damon could be that kind of person, she couldn't believe it. There had to be some vital part of the story that was missing.

"Maybe you should ask him about it. Not tonight, don't ruin your night. But after." Bonnie suggested, picking up the red nail polish. "I think you should go with this, it will match your dress."

Elena nodded in agreement, ready to put the conversation in the back of her head so she could enjoy the evening. Damon picked her up promptly at 8. He had been right, he looked irresistible in his black tuxedo.

"You look beautiful." Damon grinned, his eyes roaming up and down as he took in her red knee-length dress.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Salvatore." She gave a small curtsy. He held out his arm for her and she closed the door behind her. She watched him as he led her to his car, thinking back to Bonnie's words. Caroline had to be wrong, she just had to be. But she wasn't going to ask Damon about it tonight. She deserved a nice night out, she hadn't had one since her parents had died. Besides, say what Bonnie heard was true. What's the worst that could happen while surrounded by all the town members?

"Nice car!" she gushed at the sight of his baby blue Camaro.

"Thank you." He beamed as he held the passenger door open for her.

They arrived at the Lockwood's to see the party already in full swing, with tables upon tables of food lining the drive outside the house. There was a tent off to the side in the field, with a dance floor. Richard and Carol Lockwood were at the entrance to their house, greeting people as they went in to survey all the items loaned for display.

Damon went to get drinks for them just as Elena spotted Stefan standing to the side of the house. She walked over to greet him. "Hey Stefan. Where's your date?"

He smiled at the sight of her. "Oh, off socializing while simultaneously avoiding her mother. You know her." He laughed. "You came here with Damon?" he asked.

"Yeah, he is fetching us drinks. Did you two go to these gatherings when you were younger, before you left town?"

"Oh no, Damon and I stayed home. Our father lived for these events, he used them as self-validation, but our mother took mercy on us and had us stay home. Besides, did _you_ go to them, miss lifetime member of Mystic Falls?" Stefan nudged her shoulder.

Elena guffawed. "Oh, absolutely not. Jeremy and I were too big of troublemakers. We all were. My aunt used to get stuck with babysitting Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, Jeremy, and me. Until I was old enough to get saddled with watching Jer."

"Yeah, yeah I could see that. How is your brother doing, by the way? I know he's been going through a rough time." Stefan wondered with a sympathetic smile.

Elena grimaced. "Eh, he's been better. He's hanging out with Matt's older sister, Vicki, and her druggie group. I don't want him getting mixed up with them, but the harder Aunt Jenna and I push, the later he's out, coming home stoned, and skipping classes."

"If you want, I'll talk to him. Both my parents have died too, although with a hell of a lot more baggage." Caroline and Damon walked up them, drinks in hand, interrupting their conversation.

"Hey, little bro." Elena noticed that Damon's greeting seemed a bit stiff, especially directed at a sibling.

"Elena, oh my god you look gorg!" Caroline gushed, twirling Elena around to appreciate her dress.

"Thanks Care. So do you." Elena giggled as she took the drink Damon held up for her.

"So, should we go say our hellos to Mrs. Lockwood?" Elena suggested as Damon held out his arm for her.

"Yeah, before she has an aneurysm over poor manners of today's youth." Caroline sighed dramatically, giving Elena a smirk. Mrs. Lockwood tolerated Elena because she was perfectly polite around the town leaders, but Caroline had always been too much for the stuffy mayor and his wife. Too bubbly, too high strung, too loud, too blonde, too everything.

"How long until we can blow this popsicle stand?" Damon leaned down to whisper in Elena's ear as they approached the entrance to the Lockwood mansion.

"Be nice." Elena chided. "An hour, two tops." She grinned up at him as he pulled her closer.

The two couples finally made it inside and went to the study, where the first display was up.

"These belonged to your parents?" Damon asked as he placed his hand on her back, toying with the ends of her hair.

She nodded, finding herself unable to speak. She had been careful to avoid going through too many of her parents' possessions, it was still tough.

"I know it's probably the last thing you want to do right now, but you can talk to me about them. If you want." Damon lifted a hand and brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

"You know, you're the first person to not quiz me about my parents." Elena smiled gratefully. "Well, besides Stefan. I'm assuming he's the one that told you?"

Damon took a drink before nodding. "Yes. Although it was relatively easy to figure out. I knew your parents picked you up the first night we met. And when you came over last week you mentioned your aunt."

"They died the night I met you, actually. On Wickery Bridge, after they picked me up. I was the sole survivor." Elena looked down and swished her drink around in her glass. She couldn't handle the pity that would be in Damon's eyes. The same look everyone always gave her when her parents were mentioned.

He tilted her chin up to look at him. "I'm sorry, Elena. I'm surprised you even want anything to do with me, I'm sure I'm a constant reminder of that night."

She eyes burned but she refused to give in to the tears. "It actually helps a bit. Because yeah, my parents died. And yeah, it sucked and my life is forever changed. But I met you. And that wasn't so bad." She gave him a small smile that she hoped was reassuring.

"Oh, well, I'm glad it wasn't terrible." Damon mocked, nudging her hip.

Elena giggled and moved away from the table. "I'm going to go refill my drink."

"No, I'll get it." Damon took her drink and walked out of the room. She looked around to see Stefan a few displays down.

"Hey stranger." She edged over to him.

"How are you and Damon?" Stefan smiled down at her, his arms crossed.

"Good. He um, told me about Katherine." Elena started, gauging his reaction.

"Ah." He stated simply.

"He told me about how he proposed to her and how it didn't work out." She continued, mirroring his pose.

"And how did you feel about that?" Stefan asked as he uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I was upset at first, but he explained everything to me. That _is_ why you were worried about us growing close, right?"

Stefan gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah."

Elena didn't believe him for a second. "Listen, Stefan. You're my friend, a great friend actually. And you're dating my best friend. But there's something you're _not_ telling me that you obviously _want_ to tell me. But you know what? If it's about Damon I don't really care. I'm not going to be petty and go behind his back, and I'm not going to get in the middle of whatever it is that is going on between you two. I can't get in the middle of it. So, whatever it is, I hope you two can work it out. But leave me out of it, okay? Don't make me choose between you two." Elena stormed off, not waiting to hear Stefan's response.

She was looking down, fumbling with her phone and clutch when she ran into Damon.

"Woah, careful." Damon teased, holding the drinks up so they didn't spill on her dress. "Are you okay?" he asked when he noticed her face.

"Yeah, you wanna get out of here?" she asked as she plastered a fake smile on her face.

"You don't have to ask me twice."

* * *

"Did you ever ask Damon about what Stefan told Caroline?" Bonnie asked as they sat down at their usual booth at the Grill.

"No, I didn't. Stefan's acting weird and you know, regardless of what he told Care he's being the shady one." Elena shrugged and threw her bag in the booth beside her.

"Do you think Stefan is the one to worry about? Not Damon?" Bonnie peered over her menu.

Elena shook her head. "No, no. I think Stefan's a good guy. I mean, everyone else loves him and he's been good to Caroline and except for when it comes to Damon he's been great. They just have their own drama to work out."

"Well, good. I'm glad, Elena. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

They were halfway through their burgers and fries when the doors opened and several of the guys from the football team came in, Tyler and Matt in the lead with Stefan not too far behind them. Matt approached the girls' table and Elena sighed. She hadn't spoken much to Matt since the fall semester started, and she didn't know if he had gotten wind of her newfound relationship with Damon.

"Hey Elena." He smiled before turning to Bonnie. "Mind if I steal her for a minute?"

Bonnie held out her arm as if to say go ahead. Elena sighed and followed him to the side of the bar where it was a bit quieter.

"How have you been Elena, with everything?"

"I've been okay, Matt. You know, school's been keeping me busy and Bonnie and Caroline have been keeping me distracted. How are things with you?" she wondered where he was going with this. He wasn't one for small talk so she knew he hadn't asked her to step away from Bonnie just to ask how she was.

"Um, they're good. Football practice is starting up soon so…. Listen, Elena, I know we broke up over the summer because you needed time to deal with your parents."

"Matt," Elena interrupted as she ran a hand through her hair, flustered.

"No, it's okay Elena. I'm not rushing you. I just want you to know I haven't given up on us." Matt moved closer to reach for her hand and she rushed back.

"Matt, I'm so sorry. I had no intentions on hurting you but…I met someone, Matt. It's over. We're over." Elena frowned, hating that she was hurting one of her oldest friends. She had always known it wasn't the best idea to give it a try with Matt but everyone told her she should, and all anyone talked about was how cute of a couple they made and how made for each other they were. Just because everyone's dream is to marry their high school sweetheart from a small town.

"Oh. Well…yeah, okay. I just- "Matt trailed off, distracted by something across the restaurant. Elena turned around to see Jeremy striding over to the table where Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, and Stefan were sitting. Jeremy looked frustrated, and Tyler seemed to be giving him a hard time. Elena and Matt rushed over to see what was going on.

"Jer, hey, what's up?" Elena asked, reaching up to grab Jeremy's shoulder.

"Why don't you ask Tyler?" he glowered. Elena turned to the rest of the table.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. Your little brother is just being a freak, wondering where Vicki is. Probably off getting high somewhere." Tyler scoffed.

Jeremy turned to Matt. "She had a shift and didn't show up today."

"How do you know that?" Caroline asked.

"He's the one that's been supplying her with drugs." Tyler snapped. Elena's head whipped around.

"Excuse me?" she cried. She knew Jeremy had been doing drugs, but she didn't know he had progressed to supplying others with pills.

"Ask him." Tyler nodded towards Jeremy.

"Are you seriously dealing drugs?" Elena narrowed her eyes.

"She's never gonna go for you." Tyler sneered.

"She already did. Over and over and over. And guess what? I didn't even have to force her to do anything." Jeremy reached across the table and shoved Tyler.

"What? Wait, Vicki- _Vicki Donovan_ slept with _you_?" Caroline laughed disbelievingly. "There's no way."

"Explain, Ty. _Now_." Matt ground out through a clenched jaw. Vicki may have been the older sibling, but Matt had spent his life taking care of his mom and sister, and it seemed like his sister was quickly following in their train wreck of a mother's footsteps.

"He's just talking shit, man." Tyler brushed it off as he stood up and walked around the table towards Jeremy. "You wanna try that again, little Gilbert?" Tyler threatened.

Elena sprang into action and jumped in front of Tyler. "Don't, Tyler. Leave him." Elena warned as she grabbed Jeremy by the sleeve.

"Come on, we're leaving. Now." Elena snapped as she pulled Jeremy away from the table while Matt's angry voice ordered Tyler to explain just what was going on.

Once they were outside the restaurant Elena rounded on Jeremy. "So, you're selling drugs now? Where are you getting them? Is it weed, or did you steal my pills? Is that how it's going to be?"

"Oh my God, Elena. No, I'm not taking your pain meds, Jesus." Jeremy's hurt voice broke through the brisk night air. "I would never do that." He added, quieter.

Elena sighed, knowing she had gone a step too far. "Jer, I'm sorry, but what am I supposed to think? You're a completely different person these days. You're moody and withdrawn and I get it-believe me, I get it. But you can't keep doing this. The tough love act is not working and I don't know what else to do." Elena's voice cracked, tears welling up in her eyes. She and Jeremy used to be so close before her parents died. They were less than 2 years apart in age and were inseparable growing up. They had drifted apart a little when she went to high school, but they were still friends. They still hung out and talked. But aside from Elena lecturing Jeremy, they'd had maybe 5 conversations since their parents' funeral. She was at a loss.

"Just leave me alone, Elena. Not like you even fucking care." Jeremy stalked off, leaving her standing outside the Grill alone.

"Elena?" she turned around to see Stefan walking out the door towards her. "Are you okay?"

Elena shook her head as her emotions took over her, and she began to cry in earnest. Stefan shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, noticing the unseasonably chilly night air. "No, I'm not. I just…I don't know what to do anymore, Stefan. He won't listen and he doesn't care. I can't do this anymore." She cried as he pulled her into his arms.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's going to be okay." Stefan smoothed her hair. "We'll figure something out, okay. Just go home, talk to Jenna. You've got Bonnie and Caroline, even Damon and me. I'm sorry I've been giving you so much shit lately, Elena. Regardless, I'm here if you need anything."

Elena pulled away, sniffling. "I know, thank you Stefan." Elena took off Stefan's jacket and handed it back to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Stefan. Thank you again." Elena gave him a timid smile, wiping at her eyes to clear them.

"Can I give you a ride home?" Stefan offered, but Elena shook her head.

"I'll be okay, it will give me some time to think. It's not far anyway." Stefan nodded and Elena headed home, working out just what she was going to tell her Aunt Jenna when she got home. It was time they got serious about Jeremy before he dug himself too big a hole for even them to get him out of.

"That'll be $150." Damon announced with a smug grin.

* * *

"Noooo, that's not fair!" Elena whined playfully, forking over a blue and yellow piece of Monopoly money.

Damon cheered as he added his new earnings to his steadily growing pile.

"Just don't suck, Elena." Jenna snickered as she took a sip from her glass of wine. Elena, Jenna, Damon, Bonnie, and Jeremy were seated at the kitchen table playing a cutthroat game of Monopoly.

Elena stuck her tongue out at her aunt as she stood up. "Anyone need anything?" she asked as she walked to the bar to refill the chip bowl.

"Yeah, for you to keep on landing on my properties." Damon smirked, glancing down at the board before looking up at her.

"Elena's always been crap at this game. Money management's not her forte." Bonnie laughed gleefully.

After talking to her aunt Jenna after the incident at the Grill, Elena and Jenna came up with a mandatory family night every Friday night to distract Jeremy from participating in less wholesome activities. And nearly every week some combination of Damon, Stefan, Bonnie, and Caroline joined them. Tonight, for Game Night Number 4, it was Damon and Bonnie, both of which were kicking Elena's ass in Monopoly.

"Shut up, Bonnie." Elena grumbled as she dumped the rest of the tortilla chips into the bowl before bringing it back to the table.

"Aww, don't be a sore loser, Elena." Jeremy, the banker, snickered. He had taken far too much pleasure in her many visits in jail this game.

"I'm never playing monopoly with you jerks again." Elena said with a toss of her hair. "You cheat." She pointed to Damon.

He gasped, affronted. "I would never! What a terrible accusation."

"Laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?" Elena intoned.

Jenna dropped her money as she dissolved into giggles. "And with that I think we'll cut off the wine, thank you very much." Elena continued, snatching the wine glass off the table.

"No!" Jenna reached for it through giggles. "You can't cut me off! I'm only on the first bottle."

"If that is the last of the first bottle, I don't think it counts." Damon said sardonically.

Elena looked around the table as she realized this was the most fun she had had since her parents died. Damon had her aunt and brother laughing, and of course she always enjoyed spending time with Damon. It had been over a month since that first evening spent with Damon when he cooked her dinner and they had been inseparable since. He often hung out with her on free weeknights, and always on the weekend. Jenna had been skeptical at first given his age, but she and Jeremy had warmed up to him quickly. Bonnie made it clear to Elena that as long as Damon treated her well and kept her happy, that she'd hear no complaints from her. And Caroline had been spending too much time with Stefan to give her much trouble, and after Elena broke down that night at the Grill Stefan had relaxed.

She couldn't ask for a better boyfriend than Damon. He didn't give into the high school drama and therefore never gave her a problem about hanging out with Matt or Stefan without him, even knowing her past with Matt. She was fine with hanging out at their homes or going to the Grill, but he insisted on taking her to different places all over Virginia. Last week they had gone to Lynchburg to an Escape Room with Caroline and Stefan. It was fun watching Caroline struggle while Damon and Stefan figured all the clues out in an instant. He challenged her and made her question everything she thought, but he was also kinder to her than anyone had ever been. She was enjoying getting to know him better.

"Well, I should probably call it a night. It's getting late." Jenna stood up, wobbling just a little bit. Damon started to clean up the board with Jeremy.

"Yeah, my dad will start to worry if I'm not home soon." Bonnie sighed as she stood up.

"Here, I'll walk you out." Jeremy jumped up. Elena shared a look with Bonnie and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I'll see you later Bon."

"Goodnight guys, don't stay up too late!" Jenna called from halfway up the stairs.

"Oh, don't worry guys, no need to stay and help clean up." Elena mumbled under her breath teasingly. She didn't mind-it gave her precious alone time with Damon.

"Your brother seems to be doing better. Have you noticed him coming home stoned lately?" Damon asked as he took the board from her to place in the box. Elena had called Damon the morning after the altercation at the Grill and explained everything to him.

"No, not even once. Who knew that all he needed was some family time. We used to have game nights all the time when we were younger." Elena packed the game away and cleared the table of glasses.

"Good. Was it just me, or does he seem interested in Bonnie?" Damon grinned.

"What? No. No way. Jeremy and Bonnie?" Elena dismissed. Bonnie had been Elena's best friend since preschool, when Jeremy was still in diapers. There was no way there was something going on with them.

Damon raised his brows. "I don't know…." He considered with a smirk. Elena tossed a hand towel at him.

"Stop it. Bonnie would come to me if anything was happening." She walked over to him. "Kitchen's clean. What shall we do now, Mr. Salvatore?" Elena wrapped her arms around his middle, pulling him closer.

"Eh, I'm gonna go home. Long day and all, you know." He said, bringing his hand up to stifle a yawn.

"Mmhmm, I'm sure." Elena murmured as she leaned up to kiss him. "If that's what you want." She whispered against his lips.

"I could be persuaded." He grinned before returning her kiss.

* * *

Why had he agreed to this? What on earth had made him decide that chaperoning for a high school dance, one that his very hot girlfriend would be attending nonetheless, would be a great idea? Not sound logic, obviously. Damon finished the last button on his shirt and grabbed his leather jacket. He hurried down the hall, about to turn down the stairs when he met Stefan.

"Hey, what's up?" he faltered. It had been 6 months since Damon and Stefan had returned to Mystic Falls, and Stefan had yet to say 5 whole sentences to him that weren't laced with sarcasm and aggression. Damon had even tried to make peace on Stefan's birthday by making him a cake and offering to host a party, but Stefan just glared at him and walked out the door, not returning until the following morning.

"You're really chaperoning?" Stefan commented snidely.

"Yeah," Damon sighed. "They were a chaperone short and Jenna begged me to do it. Something about having one more person there to talk to that wasn't balding or boring as hell. I won't bother you, though, if that's what you're wondering."

"Don't you think it's odd," Stefan remarked as they headed down the stairs side by side, "that your girlfriend's legal guardian is a year younger than you?"

Damon nearly missed a step in his surprise. "Really? With the age jokes? Do you really have nothing better, or cleverer?" he gave his younger sibling a sardonic frown.

Stefan gave a short laugh. "Okay. See ya." He continued down the stairs and was out the door, slamming it behind him, before Damon was in the foyer.

Damon arrived at the school at 7:30, just when the dance was starting to get crowded. He searched the crowd for his girlfriend or her friends, but the only familiar face he found was Jenna's.

"Nice poodle skirt." He smirked as he approached her.

She looked down, fanning her skirt out. "I'm a sucker for the decade's dance." She said in an unapologetic tone. "What are you dressed as?" she motioned to his normal attire of black button-down and dark jeans.

"Oh, I don't dress up." He shook his head. "So, where is A-laric?" Damon teased, stressing the first syllable. Jenna had recently started seeing the history teacher at Elena's school but Damon had yet to meet him.

Jenna looked around curiously. "You know, I haven't seen him yet. Go away, maybe you're scaring him off with your no-fun attitude."

He scowled down at her but acquiesced. "You know, I'm only here because you begged me, but okay. I can take a hint." He sauntered off, giving the crowd a once-over for Elena. It would've helped if he knew what she was wearing, but of course she insisted it be a surprise. Finally, he found her at a table with Caroline and Bonnie. She looked so fucking adorable that he just wanted to hold her. She had forgone the stereotypical poodle skirt and instead wore a very form fitting pair of pants and a button up shirt paired with a scarf tied around her neck, headband, teased poof, and white sneakers. Damon motioned for Bonnie and Caroline to be quiet as he snuck up on Elena.

"You are way too hot to be in high school." Damon whispered in Elena's ear, making her jump.

"Damon!" she cried, giving his arm a playful slap. "Don't scare me like that!" she flipped her long mane of hair behind her shoulder and turned back to her friends. "We were just arguing about the best decade. Caroline says the 1960s, but that's just because it's her lifelong dream to be someone's Jackie O. Bonnie says the 90s because she's all about the grunge. What do you think?"

"What do you think? You're so quick to judge their choices." Damon retorted, throwing an arm around Elena's shoulders.

"The 20s. All the glamour and flapper skirts. It was so romantic." Elena grinned.

"If you're going for romance, you've got it all wrong baby. 1940s. All the couples professing their undying love before the men went off to war, not knowing if they'd make it back. But my favorite decade was the 80's."

Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie all groaned in unison. "I forgot, you were born in the 80's." Elena teased.

"Babies." Damon sighed and shook his head and ducked when he was pelted with rolled up napkins.

"Sorry, we can't all be old men like you." Caroline mocked, a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Care, be nice." Bonnie elbowed her friend.

"Would you like to dance, Elena?" Damon offered his hand, sure to shoot Caroline a taunting look. He knew she loved nothing more to dance, and his brother _hated_ it which explained his MIA status. Elena gratefully took his hand and he led her out to the dance floor.

"Thanks for coming tonight, I know you don't enjoy this high school stuff." Elena gave Damon a grateful smile.

"I do, but I love you." Damon pulled her close. Elena faltered, missing her step.

"You wha…" she trailed off, staring up at Damon in wonder.

"You heard me. Besides, is it really a surprise? I'm a 25-year-old man at a high school decade dance." Damon chuckled. At her silence, he added, "Don't worry, you don't have to say it back."

It took a moment for her brain to catch up and she said, "No, it's…. I love you too, Damon Salvatore." Her eyes filled with tears and she leaned her head against his chest as he led them around the dance floor. The song was ending as he heard a sniffle. He pulled her head back and tilted her chin up.

"Hey, hey. No crying, happy times. Keep that up and I won't go to anymore dances with you." He crooned. Elena let out a wet laugh as Damon gently brushed the few tears that escaped away. "None of that, you hear? Bonnie will have my head, not to mention your aunt."

Elena pulled away, standing straight. "Oh yeah, is she here? She told me she Mr. Saltzman invited her to be a chaperone, I wonder how it's going." She said, distracted as she looked for her aunt.

"Be more obvious, will you?" Damon sniggered. "I'm sure they're doing fine. He was walking over to her when I found you. Chased me off, after begging me to chaperone this damn thing."

"Oh, like it took you much persuading." Elena's eyes glinted with mirth.

"Yeah, yeah, keep it up Miss Gilbert." Damon muttered.

"Mmm, you keep that up." She gave a coquettish smile.

"Stop it, you mischievous little-" Damon was cut off and turned his head to see Matt tapping his shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asked quietly. Elena nodded her head for Damon to take a break. He knew of the talk Matt had with her back at the grill several weeks back and while he'd never presume to tell Elena what she could and couldn't do, he also had no qualms about telling someone that was bothering her to fuck off. He stepped back, allowing Matt to take his place, and stopped at the refreshment table to get a drink before heading back to the table.

"You're taking that in stride." Bonnie commented. She was alone at the table, Caroline must have convinced Stefan to dance.

"What, Elena and the quarterback? I trust her, and I can deal with him." Damon shrugged, nonplussed.

"Matt is a good guy. We've been friends with him since, like first grade. He's earnest, but sweet. But I'm glad you're so cool with it. As laid back and passive as Elena can seem at times, she's not one to put up with being bossed around. Never has." Bonnie said coolly, picking up her drink. "The faster the guys she dates realizes that, the better it is for everyone around."

"Message received." Damon eyed Bonnie carefully. She was tiny and seemingly unthreatening, but something told Damon she was not one to be trifled with. She was friendly enough, but had a blunt, matter-of-fact attitude that belied her innocuous appearance.

Bonnie cut her eyes at him. "But you're good for her. She's happier. It's been a long time since I've seen her smile. Like, really smile. We were all worried about her for a while. You know, after her parents died."

"I love her, Bonnie. I'm not gonna hurt her. Hell, I'd hurt anyone who tried." Damon regarded the small girl seriously.

"Good." Bonnie nodded and smiled as Elena and Matt came back to the table.

"What are you two talking about?" Elena asked, out of breath. The song had changed from the slow one Damon had danced to with her to an up-tempo one.

"Just how much we love you." Bonnie beamed.

Elena looked at them with narrowed eyes. "I don't believe you for a second, but okay."

 _Bonnie was right_ , Damon thought as he watched Elena. Her eyes were bright and crinkled at the corners as she smiled and she looked so happy. Her laugh was infectious and spontaneous. So many girls tried masking their laughter because they were self-conscious about their voice, but not Elena. She was unapologetic and infectious. This was the real Elena, right here. Not the subdued girl he met so many months ago, in May. She was finally healing from her parents' tragic death, and he was proud to have been a part of her recovery.

The rest of the night went on without incident. He made an effort to avoid Stefan and any of his snide remarks, but luckily, he didn't have to try so hard with Elena pulling him out to the dance floor all night. As everyone was getting ready to head out and Caroline and Matt were rounding everyone up to see who was down for a late dinner at the Grill, Elena turned to Damon.

"I told Jenna I'd be at Bonnie's tonight."

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Then you'd better find Bonnie." He stated.

Elena frowned, and then her frown turned into a smile. "I'd rather find you." She sighed as she stepped closer to him, leaning her head against his chest.

As much as Damon wanted to go along, he had to make sure what Elena's intentions were.

"Are you sure?" he asked, pulling away slightly to meet her eyes.

"I want to go home with you, Damon." She said, peeking up at him through her full lashes. Elena's openness lit a fire under Damon and he grabbed her hand and hauled her out of the gym before she could change her mind.

Neither of them said much on the short ride. Damon wasn't inexperienced by any means and could usually keep his cool around even the most attractive of women, but the prospect of sex with Elena had him nervous. He pulled up in the drive and shut off the ignition, thankful Stefan's car wasn't in the driveway yet. That's all he needed, for Stefan to spout of some shit to upset Elena, or scare her off. He looked over to see Elena staring straight ahead, her hands clasped in her lap.

"Elena, are you okay?" Elena jumped when his hand touched hers.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She whispered hoarsely.

"You don't seem fine. I can take you home, Elena, it's okay. I won't be mad." He suggested, worried that she had changed her mind.

She shook her head. "No, no, it's not that."

"Well, then what is it?" Damon asked, starting to panic. Was it something he said or did? Did she remember something she was supposed to do, or not coordinate with Bonnie?

Elena was silent for what felt like hours to Damon, before looking down at their joined hands. "I don't have any clothes to change into." She said softly.

Damon let out a laugh. "Oh baby, I thought it was something serious." At the sight of Elena's watery glare, he shut up. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought something was really wrong. You can borrow one of my shirts. Or if you're not comfortable with that, I'm sure Caroline's left something here at one point. Girl practically lives here, I don't know how she gets away with it with her mom as the Sherriff. And I've got extra toiletries."

Elena gave a pointed sniff and narrowed her eyes at him, but without any heat behind it. "You're lucky you're cute." She pouted.

Satisfied that he was out of the woods, Damon got out of the car and jogged to her side, opening her door. He led her in the house, closing the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is kind of a short chapter. It was originally meant to be included with the chapter following this, but it didn't fit in with the tone I wanted for Chapter 5, so it's on its own. Chapter 5 will be posted in the next few days, and it's a long one. I know a lot of you are impatient for all the secrets to come out, and so that chapter will be for you!  
Updates might be a bit slow in April as I prepare for finals and get all the things done that I procrastinated on for a semester, but once May hits I'll be able to focus on this full time! I hope you guys enjoy, and thank you so much to everyone who reviews, favorites, and subscribes. It definitely gets the creative juices flowing and urges me to write faster!**

* * *

"Wow, I always forget how huge this place is. You really lived here when you were kids, just you two and your parents?" Elena asked disbelievingly. Her house was large with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms but this was completely different. This was on par with the Lockwood mansion.

"Yeah, but back then half the founding functions happened here so it was always full. It's too quiet now, but it's improved a lot since Stefan started dating Caroline. A tornado of noise travels with that woman."

Elena laughed. Damon was right about that. Caroline was many things, but quiet and unobtrusive she was not. She let him take her hand and lead him upstairs.

"My room is this way," he motioned towards the left. "All the way down this hall."

"Is there anything back that way?" Elena asked, motioning towards the hall opposite where they were headed.

"That's the other wing. That's where our old rooms were, but so were our parents'. We kind of steer clear of that area. But these are all the guest suites, so most have their own private bathrooms. Works better for us." Damon explained as he opened his room and led her in. Her eyes immediately fell upon the huge four poster bed situated in the middle of the room. His bed could fit two of her bed.

"Make yourself at home, I'll be right back." Damon said, walking into his closet. Elena walked further into the room, taking in her surroundings. This was the first time she had been in his room. It was sparsely decorated, with a lone bookshelf on the wall next to the door and several stacks of books by the bed, like Damon could never decide what to read when he went to bed so he wanted several options. Large French doors led out to a balcony, with curtains hiding what looked like a wall of windows surrounding it. The wood paneled walls were bare, with no pictures or paintings adorning the intricately decorated paneling. On the left side of the room there was a large opening leading to an expansive bathroom.

Elena gasped at the sight of the enormous claw-foot tub and large counter with dual sinks. There was a large shower big enough for at least 4 people to stand in beside the tub. She was about to venture further when two muscular arms wrapped around her middle.

"Oh," she breathed before turning around to face him. "Sorry, I was just-" she started.

Damon placed a finger over her lips. "You're allowed to explore, Elena. I promise, I'm not hiding any secrets up here."

"Mmmm, I'm not so sure about that. I've seen that bathroom." She teased as she reached up to place a kiss on his lips. She hesitated a moment, allowing him to get comfortable before she parted her lips, letting the kiss to deepen. His hands flew up to her back, hands splayed out to cover as much skin as he could.

The kiss grew in intensity and fervor as she backed him up until his knees hit the bed and folded, allowing them to fall back on the bed. She detached her lips from him, her long hair creating a curtain around their faces, shielding them from the outside world.

"Now, did you just get me up here just to have your dirty way with me, Miss Gilbert? Because I'll have you know, I'm not just some floozy you can tempt so easily." Damon sniffed, acting affronted.

"Had me fooled." Elena giggled before placing a kiss on his jaw line and trailing down to his neck. She sunk her teeth into the meaty piece of skin where his neck met his shoulder, and his fingers dug into her hip with a delicious sort of pressure. Before she could do anything else he had her flipped over onto her back. She spread her knees, allowing him to settle comfortably between them.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" he mocked, brushing stray hairs off her face. His gaze wandered over her face and she licked her lips, nervous at the attention. His hand trailed down to graze her cheek, then brush along her neck, sending goosebumps down her arms, until it stilled at the opening of her shirt.

"God, you're beautiful." Damon murmured, his fingertips barely grazing the swell of her chest peeking out from the top of her shirt, where the first few buttons had been skipped. She inhaled a deep breath, causing her breasts to push forward, increasing the force of his touch. She wanted nothing more than for him to undo the buttons and explore. He stared at her heaving chest, mesmerized, but didn't act until she urged him further.

She felt something press against her inner thigh and her stomach jerked at the thought that she was causing that reaction in him. He brought his face down to kiss her collarbone, venturing lower as he replaced her hands with his, every so agonizingly slowly unbuttoning her shirt.

Her fingers threaded in his hair, tightening her grip whenever he kissed a new spot that felt particularly good. Finally, he reached the last button and she leaned forward so he could peel it off. She felt bare and vulnerable, but it didn't have her wanting to run for the hills like vulnerability sometimes did. Maybe it was because of the look he was giving her, as if she was a treasure he had been searching for his whole life. His breath hitched in his throat as his gaze moved up to meet hers.

"Is this okay?" he asked, tenderly cupping her breast. She let out a low moan at the feeling of his hand through her lace-covered bra. She nodded and brought her hand up to stroke his jaw adoringly.

"Yes. It's-it's good." She gasped.

"Do you want me to continue?" he asked, his voice a couple of octaves lower than usual, the sound causing ripples to travel through her body. She responded by leaning forward, her hands shoving his shirt up and over his head. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips at the sight of his lean figure. He had an exquisite physique, with strong and powerful arms and a solid chest. You could bounce quarters off his abs, and a delicious trail of hair led down to-

Damon pulled her out of her observances by placing an open-mouthed kiss over her nipple. Even through her bra, the sensation drew out a keening cry from her and she arched up, urging him on. His hand came to her other breast not occupied with his mouth, and gently squeezed, his fingers toying with her nipple. Elena arched further, tipping her head back, whining for more. And when he added teeth, she thought she was going to explode into nothingness. She wrapped her legs around his hips, locking her ankles behind him, urging him forward. Her eyes widened comically at the feel of his hard length pressed against her. She had imagined he was just the perfect size for her, like you are wont to do with someone you're attracted to but her wildest imaginations did not prepare for the reality of him.

"Damon," she cried softly, not sure if she wanted him to stop or continue. She wasn't a virgin, she had been with someone before. But not like this. Not even remotely close to this. She had been turned on before, sure, she was a healthy 17-year-old girl. But this was a whole different level, she was almost certain she could come just from Damon's ministrations. Her stomach fluttered as his free hand traveled down to the waistband of her jeans. He looked up at her in wordless permission, and when she nodded, proceeded to slowly peel them off, revealing long, tanned legs. His mouth left her breast and she cried out in frustration, but it was for naught because what he was doing with his mouth now was so much better. He peppered small kisses down her stomach, stopping at the tiny bow adorning the front of her panties. With a predatory look in his eyes, he reached a finger out to touch the small wet patch that was growing.

"Yes," she cried, thrashing her legs.

"Shhh," Damon calmed, holding her legs still. "Calm down." She relaxed, allowing herself to feel everything he was doing. He pressed a little harder and rubbed in a circular motion, watching carefully for her reaction. She gave a breathless sob at the absolute carnal pleasure he was producing in her. She thrust towards his hand, urging him on. He took no time in sliding back up to her head while keeping his fingers exactly where they were, deftly exploring and stirring a hard ache in her lower belly. She pulled his face down to hers, giving him a bruising kiss. His fingers worked faster and faster, until it was simultaneously too much and not enough, and then with a tightening in her stomach that was unbearable, waves of pleasure crashed over her, urgent and unforgiving. She gave a loud cry, uninhibited, before immediately relaxing.

Damon pulled away and looked up at Elena. "Did you just?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes?" Elena replied meekly.

"You say it like you're not sure." Damon chuckled, rolling so that he was lying beside her, his head propped up by his hand.

"That's never happened before." Elena said in bewilderment.

"Oh, I am going to have so much fun with you." Damon gave a devilish grin before pulling her half on top of him, cradling her in his arms.

She opened her mouth to ask him if she could return the favor when her stomach gave a large growl. She covered her middle, embarrassed while Damon let out a roaring laugh.

"Come on, let's get you some food." He pulled her up with him. She turned to grab her shirt, suddenly a bit shy about her level of exposure, but Damon stopped her.

"Here, wear this." He smirked, throwing something her way. She unfolded it to see it was a long-sleeved oxford. He disappeared into the closet while she put it on, coming out in a pair of sweatpants hung dangerously low on his hips. His shirt came down long enough that she needn't worry about pants, so she took his hand and allowed him to lead her downstairs.

"Now, what can I make for the princess?" Damon teased, lightly elbowing her in the ribs.

Elena immediately shook her head. "Oh no, don't go to any trouble. If you just have something to warm up-"

"That's not what I asked. What would you _like_ , Elena?" Damon asked, pressing her into the counter so that he was surrounding her and all she could breathe in was his mesmerizing scent of leather mixed with a faint woodsy scent. He was intoxicating, hindering her thoughts and actions as she enjoyed his closeness to her.

"Something quick." She smiled brazenly. All she wanted was to go back up to that room and continue where they left off.

"Okay, that I can do." He winked before pushing off the counter and heading towards the fridge. He started to pull out ingredients to make what looked like grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Ooh, the best comfort food ever." Elena awed as she walked around the island. "Can I help?"

"Yep." Damon said and picked up Elena and sat her down on the counter beside the stove. "Perfect."

Elena rolled her eyes but indulged him. The quietly chatted and laughed while Damon made the sandwiches.

He was plating the sandwiches as the front door opened, and Stefan and Caroline's voices echoed through the halls. Elena jumped down to stand by Damon, her bottom half covered behind the island just as the couple stumbled into the kitchen.

"Elena!" Caroline's surprised voice exclaimed. "What are you doing here, I thought-ohhhh." She caught on at the last minute, sending Elena an exaggerated wink. It looked like Caroline had indulged in a few drinks at the Grill.

Elena laughed nervously and glanced up at Damon, who was pointedly looking down at the pan.

"Hey Elena." Stefan gave a closed lip smile before turning to Damon. "We'll uh…give you guys a minute." Stefan nodded towards their various stages of undress. He turned around and led Caroline out of the room. Once they were alone, Elena burst into laughter, turning into Damon's chest.

"Well, that was awkward."

"Eat your sandwich before it gets cold. I'll go grab some clothes." Damon gave her forehead a kiss before exiting the room. Elena was alone for just a moment before Caroline ran into the room.

"Oh my god, so what happened? Did you guys have sex? Tell me everything!" she quizzed, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Care!" Elena cried, but relented. "No, we didn't have sex, it was my idea to come here, and I'm spending the night."

Caroline gave a squeal of excitement and hugged Elena. "This is so exciting! We can be sisters!"

Elena held up her hands. "Whoa, Caroline. Too soon. Damon and I have only been together like 3 months."

"Yeah, but Matt said he heard Damon tell you he loved you, that's good news!" Elena rolled her eyes at Caroline's comment. She was annoyed that her private moment with her Damon had been overheard, and by her ex-boyfriend no less, but then again it was in the middle of the dance floor so she couldn't be too angry.

"And just wait," Caroline continued, "I bet he's a rock star in bed. I mean, Damon's older than Stefan and Stefan is a god-"

"Caroline, please stop!" Elena covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more about her friends' sexscapades. "I really do not want to hear about Stefan's skills in bed."

"Neither do I." Damon's voice came from behind them. The girls squealed and whipped around to see Damon standing, this time fully dressed, at the entrance. "Since you're here, Caroline, make yourself useful and let Elena borrow a pair of your shorts. I know half your wardrobe is here." He said, tossing the boxers he had brought down for Elena aside.

Caroline scampered out of the room, avoiding Damon's gaze.

"Sorry about her." Elena apologized, standing up and carrying her plate to the sink.

"It's fine. I know Caroline far too well by now." Damon brushed off as he stepped behind Elena and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Besides, I can win any day at the shame game. Given that I have none."

* * *

Elena woke up to bright light shining on her face. She opened her eyes, squinting, as she took in her surroundings. She felt something heavy over her stomach and looked down to see Damon's arm draped over her. This, she could get used to. He was on his side, facing her, and she took advantage of it to stare unabashedly at him. His features were decidedly feminine but the sharp angle of his jaw offset it perfectly, making him beautiful. He had the barest hint of stubble covering his jaw which was perhaps the sexiest thing she had ever seen. She snuggled closer into his arms, enjoying the closeness that was rare with them. She couldn't wait until June, when she'd be 18 and _no one_ could say a thing to them. They didn't get much criticism as it was. Elena was mature for her age, she had to be with 2 dead parents, and she'd always looked older than her age. At most they just got hints of whispers from across the room, but coming from a small town Damon and Elena knew people would whisper no matter the circumstances. All that said, Damon still tried to keep the public displays down to a minimum, because she was a minor, and even though they hadn't done anything illegal, it didn't stop old ladies from giving Damon nasty looks as they walked down the street, fingers interlocked. But 7 more months and she could hug and kiss him all she wanted in public, no shame necessary.

She nuzzled his chest with her nose and he stirred, making a content hum in the back of his throat.

"Morning." He mumbled with a lazy smile on his face, eyes still closed.

"Hi there." She grinned as he pressed closer to her, squeezing her tight. She jumped at the feel of his morning wood pressed against her belly.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, tilting his hips away.

"It's okay." Elena whispered, placing a hand on his hip. He never once pressured her to do something she wasn't one hundred percent ready to do, so she didn't feel any sort of trepidation or anxiousness at the normal bodily function a lot of guys experienced in the morning.

"'s your fault for being so hot anyway." He breathed into her hair. She laughed and pushed him away.

"You're so funny, Damon." She said, rolling onto her back. "What time do you have to go in to work today?" she asked, already dreading the moment she'd have to leave him.

Damon glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "In a few hours." He groaned. "I'm ready for it to be up and running so I can see you more." He pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair.

"I know. How much more work do you have?"

"Well," Damon sat up in bed, letting the sheet fall to his waist to reveal his bare chest, "I have a few more interviews to do. I have the bar manager hired and trained, he's been helping me get things organized. I need a few more bartenders and then a few last-minute touches on all the renovations I did. I pretty much gutted the place. The bar's been open for decades, but it looked like it hadn't been touched in just as many. New floors, new seating, new bar, new everything."

"Is there anything I can help with?" Elena offered.

"Absolutely not. I am not putting my girlfriend to work." Damon insisted gruffly, frowning down at her. "Besides," he said, lightening up. "You've got a lot going on right now."

They remained in bed until the sun was all the way up and then Damon got up to get ready for work, while Elena said her goodbyes.

"I'll see you soon, yeah?" she asked, hitching her bag up on her shoulder.

"Of course. I'll be there for game night. I love you." He placed a goodbye kiss on her forehead before leading her out the door.

"I love you too, Damon."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: A few days later, as promised. Hope you guys like it! This chapter is where the rating starts to show. Coarse language because...well, Damon. Such a mouth on that one. I'll admit, I'm nervous about this one. It's long, with a lot of information. Let me know what you guys think!**

 _All the things we should've said that we never said  
All the things we should've done but we never did  
And all the things that you needed from me  
And all the things that you wanted for me  
And all the things I should've done but I didn't_

 _-This Woman's Work, Greg Laswell_

Damon walked into his house and went straight for his bourbon. He needed it after a day like the one he'd had. He had been forced to work a double due to call outs and he was exhausted. He didn't regret his decision to buy the bar in town, he was just ready for training to be done so he could relax and take a breather. He had been working nonstop to do renovations, hiring, and training and had little time to do the actual managerial tasks that owning a bar required. Luckily, he had one more day of training and showing his second hand the ropes and then he could take his much needed and well-deserved break.

He poured 2 fingers and immediately downed it, quickly replacing it with 3 fingers and sat down in his favorite arm chair. Stefan and Elena were at school, working on a project for their history class, so he would have the house to himself for the evening. He could get drunk without Stefan freaking out. He understood why it bothered Stefan - it'd be weird if it didn't, given their childhood. But having a few glasses of bourbon after a long day didn't make him a raging alcoholic. It didn't make him their father. In all truth, Stefan was much more their father than he was. Damon was all Lily Salvatore. All soft heart, defensive sarcasm, and everlasting loyalty wrapped in self-destructive tendencies. Stefan was colder. Not necessarily cruel, but self-righteous and at times unpredictable. He was as judgmental and melancholy as he was chivalrous and compassionate. Stefan was so sweet and loving as a child, always ready to make someone laugh. Their mother's death robbed him of much of that. He was less cheerful, smiled just a little less, but his young age allowed him to recover quickly. He and Damon remained close, Damon insistent on making sure Stefan grew up as normal as he could, could retain his joyful nature. But their father ruined any chance they had at happiness.

Damon's father had always, _always_ , disliked Damon. Damon was too free-spirited, he had no interest in following in his father's footsteps and joining the practice. He couldn't control Damon. Damon was aware of his father's disdain, but Lily kept him at bay most of the time. Sure, there had been a few incidents, like when his father made him kill his pet turkey on their small farm to have for Thanksgiving dinner, or when he accused his sons of stealing and proceeded to burn Damon's arm with his cigar when Damon fessed up to something he didn't do to protect Stefan. But Damon knew his mother took the brunt of his father's anger and disappointment. Why they ever got married, Damon never understood. Because if his father hated him so much, and if he was just like his mother, then what did his father ever see in her?

Things were increasingly rough for Damon and Stefan after their mother's death, but life went on. Damon taught Stefan how to fight and defend himself (he had told Stefan it was just something every man should know, but it was honestly just an insurance policy on the chance that their father turned his anger towards Stefan), he made sure Stefan knew the correct way to ask a girl out, and how to treat her, and that you always open doors and pull out chairs for a woman. He taught Stefan enough so that when Damon did go off to college, his father couldn't warp his younger brother's mind and turn him into what his father considered to be a "proper man". Although his father didn't have the faintest clue what a proper man was because a proper man didn't bully young boys, didn't hit women, let alone his wife. There wasn't a day of his life that Damon didn't regret leaving Stefan alone with their father. He knew it had to be done-earning a degree was the best chance he had at getting his brother out alive-and he truly did think that his father would treat his favorite son differently. And he did, for a while. Until the alcohol. Which is why Stefan hated that Damon drank. And hated that Damon owned a bar. But at the end of the day, Damon was there for Stefan. He made sure no one would ever hurt him again, that he would have a better future, and that he could one day return to the happy little brother that he used to be. Stefan could hate him all he wanted, but at least he was safe. That, above everything else, was Damon's main concern for those that he loved. They could die hating him, but at least they'd be alive.

Damon stood up to take his drink to the kitchen and retire for the night when the front door burst open to reveal Stefan and Caroline stumbling inside, giggling.

"Hello, little brother." Damon lifted the corner of his mouth and raised his glass in greeting.

Stefan sobered and put his hand on Caroline's lower back. "Why don't you go on up, Care. I'll be right there." He murmured in her ear. She faltered, watching the brothers' interaction carefully.

"Is everything good?" she asked, her eyes darting back and forth. Damon didn't understand why Stefan had been so cagey for the past several months. But he obviously wanted to talk and Damon was going to use that as an excuse to get to the bottom of this.

"Why don't you give us a moment, Caroline?" Damon smiled amiably at Caroline. After a moment, she shrugged her shoulders and skipped up the stairs. Stefan sighed and turned his attention fully to Damon, crossing his arms.

"What is going on Stef? You've been weird ever since we came back to Mystic Falls, and I gave you some time, thinking you were just adjusting, but the attitude is getting worse and worse. So, you're going to talk to me, and we're going to fix this." Contrary to how Damon acted outwardly, he didn't like being at odds with his brother. Stefan had been his first friend and only friend for a very long time. Aside from the friends they had made though Elena, they were alone. Damon could think of very few things he wouldn't do to repair his relationship with his younger sibling.

Stefan scoffed, looking away. "Yeah, now you care."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just-don't act like you care all of the sudden. This big brother act has been great and all, I know it landed Elena in the sack, but you're not fooling me." Stefan glared at Damon with disdain.

Damon's confused expression warped into an angry one, his fingers tightening around his glass dangerously. "Watch it," he warned. Stefan could go after Damon all day and night. He could throw blow after blow at Damon without repercussion. But Elena was out of bounds, just as Caroline was for him.

"Whatever," Stefan turned to head up the stairs.

"Oh, no you don't." Damon moved to grab his arm before his foot could touch the first step. "We're doing this. You're going to tell me why you've been such a colossal pain in my ass."

Stefan glared hatefully at Damon for several minutes, his posture stiff and unforgiving. Finally, his shoulders sagged defeatedly. "Why'd you leave me with him, Damon? You knew what he was like, what he was capable of. Why did you think it'd be any different after you left?"

The look on Stefan's face made Damon want to punch a hole in his favorite armchair. He didn't know what answer to give Stefan. He knew the truth, but he knew that wasn't what Stefan wanted to hear. The truth wasn't going to make everything okay between them.

"I'm sorry, Stef. I know I'll never be able to make it up to you. I honestly thought I was doing the best thing for you, for us." Damon took a step towards Stefan, but Stefan held up his hand, blocking Damon's movements. "Father hated me, I've known that since day one. I looked too much like mom, I acted too much like mom. But you were always his favorite. You have to believe I would _never_ have left you alone with him if I knew what he would do." Damon pleaded.

"Yeah, well, you did. And he did. You're a lot more like our father than you want to admit." Stefan's declaration left Damon rooted to his spot, unable to move from shock. Finally, Damon recovered.

"Stefan, I know what happened was awful. Believe me, I fucking get it. You don't remember how bad it was when mom was alive, and there's a reason for that. But it could have been worse, okay? Father hated me so much more than he hated you. The fact that he never laid a hand on you proves that. Who's to say that would have kept true if I'd stayed. If I had stayed and continued to anger him, who knows what would have happened. Believe me, or don't, but everything I did, I did to protect you."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Father may never have hit me, but sometimes I wish he had. Bruises heal." Stefan snorted and turned to go up to his room, to Caroline, as Damon did nothing to stop him.

It was several minutes before Damon could move. He strode to the front door, grabbed his coat, and left. 20 minutes later he was at her front door, knocking. He prayed she came to the door, and not her brother or aunt. He knew he probably looked like a mess right now, but after Stefan, there was no one he'd rather be with.

"Damon?" Elena threw open the door. She wrapped her sweater tighter around her as she stepped forward. "What is it? What happened?" she gasped, taking in his wide, scared eyes and trembling shoulders. "Come in, it's cold." She ushered him inside, closing the door behind him.

"I…I fucked up, Elena. I-I- "he croaked, his eyes pleading.

"What-are…. are you in trouble, Damon? Did you do something bad? I don't understand." Elena shook her head, frightened at her boyfriend's unusual agitation.

"No, yes, I don't know what to do. He's never going to forgive me."

* * *

Stefan slowly ascended the stairs, ready to fall into bed next to his incredibly warm, beautiful, and compassionate girlfriend. He wanted to forget Damon and their past. He opened his bedroom door to see Caroline perched on the end of his bed, waiting. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, taking the sight of her in.

"Stefan? Everything okay?" Caroline coaxed nervously. She made to stand up, but Stefan walked over to her and stopped her. He wanted to tell her everything, but at the same time, he didn't want to mar her innocence. The hardest thing she had encountered in her life was her parents' divorce which, sure, was hard for the average 16-year-old but it was just child's play for him. And Elena was Caroline's best friend, he refused to put Caroline in the difficult position of choosing between her best friend and her boyfriend. Because Stefan knew that inevitably, Elena would choose Damon, regardless of her friendship with Stefan.

"Yeah," he brushed off. "Yeah, I'm fine. You tired?" he gave a small smile as he walked to his dresser. "Do you need a shirt?" Stefan asked, offering her a t-shirt.

"Thanks." She mumbled, taking it from him. They got undressed in silence and crawled into Stefan's bed. Neither said anything for a few moments until Caroline rolled over to face Stefan.

"Stefan? Why don't you and Damon get along? This can't be just because of Katherine." Caroline propped her head on her hand, looking imploringly at Stefan.

"My mom died when I was 7. She fell asleep on the couch and just never woke up, and Damon and I were the ones to find her. We think she probably took one too many of her pills-she was on anti-depressants and anxiety medication. Our father was never particularly kind, and he was even less so after she died. I think that maybe he never really wanted kids, maybe never even wanted to marry our mother. He moved us away to Chicago after her death, with no warning. He was the only family we had-our grandparents died before we were born, and neither of our parents had any siblings. So, we just…. disappeared." Stefan said, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't bear to look at Caroline's face and say what he needed to say.

"I know all of this, though, Stefan. I still don't understand, though. I would've thought losing your mom so young would have made you two close, especially if you didn't have your dad to turn to." Caroline considered as she squeezed Stefan's hand.

"We were. For a while. Damon took care of me from the ages of 7 to 11. He taught me how to fight, how to take care of myself. Meanwhile, our father built his law practice and was never home. When he was home, he drank and was belligerent. Damon was careful to make sure father was never alone with me for too long. He had never hurt me when we lived in Mystic Falls-Damon was always his target, but I don't think Damon trusted him.

"But then Damon graduated high school and went off to college. He wasn't far from us-less than an hour. But they required him to stay on campus the first year. He came home every weekend to check on me, and at first, things were pretty good. I mean, my father was gone mostly. But I was old enough to be relatively self-sufficient, and when our father was home he was slightly happier. He really did resent Damon, and the lack of control he had over him. Damon wants approval more than anything, and he got it in spades from our mother. He learned early on he'd never get father's approval, and as soon as that happened father's control over Damon vanished."

"Well, I mean, that sounds like Damon going off to college was a good thing, if your father was nicer." Caroline said, ever the diplomat and optimist.

"It was. He was never a Father of the Year contender or anything, but he wasn't horrible. It was his birthday, and I tried to bake his favorite cake for him but I'm not the best in the kitchen. I can survive, but I'm no Master Chef. And my father freaked out when he got home. And it just got worse from there. It was just little things, yelling at me for being too emotional, not man enough. I hid it from Damon for a while, because I knew he was happy at school-he had just met Katherine and I hadn't seen him as happy and carefree in years. Father drank more and more, he had been a functioning alcoholic for most of my life, but he was functioning less and less. He was angry about so much-he and Damon constantly fought because Damon didn't want to follow our father's footsteps, and so father threatened to cut him off. He was furious that he was saddled with taking care of a kid he had little interest in. His interest only went as far as what we could accomplish for him. Could we join him and help him grow his practice? Could we further his reputation? And then-" Stefan's words got caught in his throat. Caroline wrapped the arm not intertwined with his around him comfortingly and laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Stefan. You don't have to tell me." She soothed.

"No, it's…. I've never told anyone the whole story. No one really cared enough." He drew in an unsteady breath. "Damon stopped visiting as often. He never fully stopped, and he stayed in touch. But I was too ashamed to tell him what was happening. All I had to do was get through until Damon graduated. I knew he was hurrying through his degree for me and if it hadn't been for me, he could have gone to a college farther away, studied what he really wanted to study. Just stay in the shadows, make good grades, and wait it out. And I couldn't even do that properly.

"Suddenly I was 14 and I hated my older brother. I blamed him for every bad thing in my life. I know it wasn't right, that it wasn't really his fault, but I just couldn't cope. I blamed him for making father angry, for deliberately antagonizing him. I blamed him for mother's death, and father's drinking. I blamed him for choosing a woman over his only family. And that anger and blame just curdled in my body, growing until there was nothing I could do. And then my father died. He drank himself into such an oblivion one night that he passed out on the couch and choked to death on his own vomit. It kind of served him right. I know, you probably think I'm terrible for making light of my father's death, even if he was a monster. I called Damon and several months later he moved us into a tiny apartment just a few minutes from campus. He tried so hard to make things right, to repair our relationship, but it was too late. There was too much resentment for me to have a functioning relationship with my older brother. So, we lived in silence, both throwing ourselves into our studies. And then we moved back to our childhood home, and here we are."

Caroline stared at him in silence for several moments, letting the wealth of information he had shared sink in. It was a lot, Stefan knew. Possibly too much for a girl who had grown up in such a calm, loving, and nurturing environment to understand. He didn't even think Elena would understand, even with her parents' death, if Damon ever decided to share his side. At the very least, they couldn't grasp the severity.

"Stefan," Caroline breathed.

He rolled onto his side and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything, I know it's a lot of information."

Caroline pushed away from his chest to look him in the face. "No, no it's not that. I just…. the thought of you keeping all that in all these years."

"It really wasn't all that bad, for the most part. Damon had it worse. Our father may have berated me and yelled at me, but it was Damon he was physical with."

Caroline moaned. "And I'm sure what happened with Katherine didn't help things at all, did it?"

Stefan's face darkened. "No. Turns out he's more like our father than he'll admit. That's why I was so adamant about him leaving Elena be. I mean, Katherine was a force of nature, and strong headed, so it's possible he won't repeat history. But still…. I worry. But what I think will make the biggest difference is that Katherine was alone. She had no family, just like us. Elena…. she is surrounded by family. She has her aunt, and her brother, and you and Bonnie."

"Let me talk to Elena." Caroline reasoned. "She'll listen to me and Bonnie. I don't want her to get hurt, Stefan. And if Damon is a threat…"

Stefan shook his head. "She'll run to Damon immediately. And I don't know what he'll do."

"He seems to really love her. Are you sure what Katherine told you was true? I mean, I know your father was an abusive asshole, but Damon? I've seen how he treats her. How he looks at her. He loves her." Caroline sighed.

"Abusive men get away with abuse for a reason, Caroline. They are manipulative and cunning and charming. Damon's got enough charm for a hundred men. Katherine was so scared when she came to me, and everything she said made sense. Damon is passionate and doesn't fall easily, and it's even harder for him to fall out of love. They were together for years before he proposed."

"But to bully her into staying? And if Katherine was as strong-willed as you say, she doesn't seem the type to put up with the slightest abuse, and _definitely_ not the type to be feared into submission. Have you ever confronted him about what Katherine accused him of?"

Stefan shook his head. "We haven't had a real, honest, open conversation since father's funeral. I can hardly look at him. We'll never be friends. Not after everything. I'm here until I graduate and after that, I'm gone for good."

* * *

"Elena!" Elena jumped when she heard a harsh whisper above her. She opened her eyes to see Jeremy's face looming above her own. She was confused about why Jeremy was in her room before she realized she wasn't in her room. She was on the couch in the living room. And she wasn't alone. She was wrapped up in Damon's arms, who was still fast asleep.

"Crap." She mumbled as she pried herself loose and stood up, making sure Damon was still fast asleep before she followed Jeremy into the kitchen.

"Um, you wanna explain before Aunt Jenna wakes up?" Jeremy crossed his arms, glaring at her expectantly.

"It's not what it looks like." Elena sighed. She remembered Damon coming over late last night, distraught. She remembered bringing him to the couch and him explaining everything. How his mother died, and his father became an alcoholic. How his father was abusive and horrible to him, and how things got so bad. He told her everything about his childhood that resulted in moving Stefan and himself back to Mystic Falls, the fight he had with Stefan, and why he showed up on her doorstep. It was a lot to process. But it just made her love him even more. He had so much love to give for someone who had seen such little love in his lifetime. He was so undeniably kind for someone who had grown up with such an unloving and unforgiving man.

"Oh, so that's just something that _looks_ like your 25-year-old boyfriend that you were cuddling with on that couch? Well, that's a relief!" Jeremy exclaimed sardonically.

"Shut up, Jer. Nothing happened. We were just up late talking and we…fell asleep." Elena finished lamely. She knew what it looked like. But she was the good child, damn it. She didn't have sleepovers with boys and stay out all night. Well, not until Damon. That was Jeremy's job, to break the rules.

"Well, get him out of here. I'll distract Jenna if she wakes up." Jeremy said as he picked up his cup of coffee and ventured back up the stairs to his room. Elena quickly made a cup of coffee and went back to the couch.

"Damon," she whispered as she perched on the edge of the coffee table. "Damon, wake up." It was well past one in the morning when they fell asleep and she hated to wake him, but Jeremy was right. It looked incriminating for Damon and her to be asleep together on the couch. If Jenna caught on, Elena wouldn't be seeing Damon for quite some time.

He gave a low moan before stretching and opening his eyes. At the sight of Elena, he bolted up. "Shit, did we get discovered?"

Elena handed him a cup of coffee. "Only by Jeremy. I convinced him to keep quiet, don't worry."

"Thank God. I'm sorry for last night," Damon started but Elena stopped him.

"Don't. You were upset, rightly so. I'm glad you felt like you could come to me. We've been together for a few months now, it can't all be sunshine and kittens." Elena held his hand in hers. "Are you going to talk to your brother?"

Damon flinched as if in pain. "I don't think there's anything I can say. He blames me for what happened. What can you say to make your brother not hate you for leaving him with a shit father?"

Elena stayed silent, not knowing an answer to that. Finally, she said, "Can I try to talk to him?"

"No," Damon spoke vehemently. "I don't want you in the middle of this, you have enough shit going on, okay? I'll be fine, I'm a grown man. Promise me, Elena. Don't worry about us."

Elena relented. She hoped they could solve this problem on their own. She loved Damon, but Stefan was her friend, and he was dating her best friend. Damon said his goodbyes and snuck out quietly before Jenna came downstairs. Elena returned to her room and gathered her things for a shower. The anniversary of the town's founding was approaching, which meant that Elena had a million things to do to prepare for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, something she had promised her mom she would do. She had planned to ask Damon to be her escort, but now she wondered if she was better off asking Matt while Damon dealt with his family.

An hour later she was headed to the school to help with the decorations and floats for the Founder's Parade that would be held in a few weeks. She arrived to see Bonnie working on a banner while Jeremy, Matt, Tyler, and Stefan were all sitting around a table. She headed over to Bonnie and dropped her bag before taking a seat.

"Where's Caroline?" Elena asked, picking up a paint brush.

"Ordering around her minions, obviously." Bonnie giggled as she stenciled lettering onto the large banner that would hang on the main float. "You look tired. What's up?" Bonnie fretted.

"Oh, it's nothing. Damon came over late last night."

"Oh, is that so?" Bonnie raised her brows in surprise. "You've reached the booty call part of the relationship?"

"Oh my god, Bonnie, no!" Elena laughed. "He and Stefan got into it, and he came over to talk to me. We were up really late, and then we fell asleep on the couch. Thankfully Jeremy woke up early for once and busted us before Jenna woke up."

"Yeah, Caroline called me this morning. She was there when it happened."

Elena looked up, surprised. "Is she okay?"

"I mean, she's shaken up. She said Stefan filled her in on a lot of things last night, it was pretty heavy stuff." Bonnie said.

"That's how my night went too. I don't want to air their dirty laundry, but he explained why they don't get along and what happened to their mom and dad, and why they moved away from Mystic Falls, and then back. It all makes sense now." Elena sighed heavily.

"Caroline said Stefan also talked about Katherine." Bonnie offered.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" She knew she didn't have the whole story about Katherine, but she wasn't upset by that. She didn't need a play by play of Damon's past relationships any more than he needed a play by play of Elena's.

"Caroline seemed kind of hesitant about it like maybe she doesn't believe it, which is good news for you. But," she paused, glancing around for eavesdroppers. "So, you know how their dad was, right?"

Elena nodded for her to continue.

"Well, Caroline implied that Damon treated Katherine how their father treated them. I don't know, maybe you should talk to Damon. I know you decided not to back in September, but this isn't going away."

Elena made a noise of derision. "Why wouldn't Caroline come to me? Why is she using you to relay information?"

"She told me not to say anything, but I don't know Elena. I didn't feel right _not_ saying anything. But Stefan told her not to talk to you about it, because she offered."

Elena put her face in her hands. This was getting so complicated.

"Hey," Bonnie took Elena's forearm. "You can't do anything about it right now, right? So, let's just forget about it and have fun. Like old times. This is already stressful enough for you, I shouldn't have said anything."

Elena smiled at her friend, grateful. "No, I'm glad you did, Bon. But you're right, enough with the doom and gloom." She picked up her paintbrush.

"So, word around the block is that you and Jeremy are a thing?" Elena glancing up at Bonnie, a teasing look in her eye.

Bonnie looked mortified. "Oh god, who is saying that? I-I did want to talk to you about that, Elena. Jeremy tried to kiss me when I was at your house for family night and I told him I needed to talk to you first. I um…I do like him. Is that okay? If not I totally get it, I know he's had a rough time- "

"Bonnie," Elena cut her friend off. "Jeremy's had a rough time, sure. And he doesn't need more complication. But I can't think of anyone I'd rather date my little brother. Go for it." She gave her blessing, happy that Jeremy had turned his attention to someone as beautiful and amazing as Bonnie Bennett.

Bonnie sighed a breath of relief. "Oh, thank god."

They were laughing and making jokes about weird double dates when Caroline came over. "How's it going?" she raised her brows expectantly.

"Good, Sargent." Elena and Bonnie saluted her.

"Glad you find this amusing. I have 5 hours to get all these signs done." Caroline snapped but her scowl only lasted a few seconds before she cracked a grin at the funny faces Elena and Bonnie were making. "You guys are like five." She shook her head, amused, as she walked away.

* * *

Damon was sitting across from Elena, watching her enjoy her Eggplant Parmesan. She glanced up to see him staring and choked, covering her mouth.

"What? Do I have sauce all over my face or something?" she asked, her eyes wide in embarrassment.

Damon chuckled and shook his head. "No, Elena, you look perfect." He picked up his glass, enjoying the blush blooming across her cheeks. She was beautiful, and he knew she knew it. She was not shy by any means, nor insecure. Yet, when Damon gave her his undivided attention she squirmed as if she was unfamiliar with attention.

"So, there's something I've been wanting to ask you," Elena began, setting her fork down. "You can totally say no, I'd understand. I don't even want to do this, but you know, I promised my mom and I know she's gone but I just feel like-"

"Elena," Damon cut her off, placing his hand over hers. "I would be honored to be your escort. Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't ask me sooner."

Her shoulders slumped as she let out the breath she had been holding. "Well, I know you're really busy with work and it's silly, I was going to see if Matt would be willing if you couldn't."

"Well, in that case, I'll make sure to have my schedule cleared. Can't have the quarterback breaking all your toes."

"Be nice!" Elena admonished, narrowing her eyes. "Just because he doesn't have years of experience dancing with women."

"Oh, you'll be thanking me for my experience one day." He winked, causing her to blush again before dissolving into laughter.

After dinner, Damon paid the bill and they set off for a walk around downtown Richmond. They had been dating for several months, and Damon convinced Jenna to give her up for the evening so he could take her.

"Damon, does it bother you that we haven't had sex?" Elena blurted out as they crossed the street. Damon halted once their feet hit the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry?" he looked down at her, confused. She was usually more subtle than that, and her question hit him like a Mack truck.

"Well, I mean, you're older. And insanely hot."

"I know." Damon stated matter-of-factly.

Elena lightly slapped his shoulder. "That's what you would focus on. I'm serious. You've probably been with a ton of women and well, I'm not a virgin, but I'm not what you'd call experienced either. I just wonder why haven't you. Tried to have sex with me, that is. Do you not want to or something?"

Damon spun her around and pressed her against the side of an empty flower shop. "Do you want to?" he murmured, placing a hand against the wall right over her head. He placed his other hand on her cheek, brushing her hair back, away from her face.

Elena's breath caught in her throat. "Um…I-I just…." She breathed.

Damon took a step, drawing his body closer to hers. "Is this what you want?" he asked, pressing his body against hers, delighting in the feeling of her curves pressing against him. He couldn't believe she was insecure about his feelings towards her. He'd been attracted to her since he first laid eyes on her. All she had to do was ask, and he'd be ready in a matter of seconds. He knew she was aware of her sex appeal, and of the reaction he had to her. So why on earth would she think he wasn't interested. Then again, maybe this was her coy way of saying she was ready.

"Yes," she moaned, closing her eyes and pressing her cheek to his palm. She thrust her chest out towards him, her breasts meeting his hard chest, her thin silk shirt doing a poor job of disguising her arousal.

Damon groaned as his dick twitched. He was finding it harder and harder to resist showing her just what he could do, especially when she was looking as delectable as she did right now, with her tight jeans that wrapped around her ass just so and the low-cut silk shirt that, while not tight, did nothing to disguise her figure.

"You're going to be the death of me, Elena." He panted, leaning his forehead against hers, just enjoying the proximity to his girlfriend.

She reached her hands up to cup his face, and pulled his face down to hers, pressing her lips against his. And with that one motion, his fate was sealed. He was forever hers to do with whatever she pleased. His hands met to cover hers, threading his fingers through hers as she opened her mouth to him. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue in, exploring her mouth. He moved his hands south to grip her waist while she wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through the short black hairs at the nape of his neck.

"Fuck, 'lena." Damon grunted as she broke away from the kiss to trail open-mouthed kisses down his throat, setting into the crook of his neck. She let out a small sigh as she continued down to the open collar of his shirt. He thrust a knee between her legs to separate them, allowing his dick to come into closer contact with her stomach. What she was doing was heavenly and he never wanted her to stop. They were in a semi-public place, where anyone could walk past them, although it was highly unlikely given that it was 9 pm on a Monday night and the shops surrounding them had closed an hour prior. He knew he should stop her, either so they could go somewhere private or she could come to her senses, although he prayed it was the former option. But all those thoughts fled his mind when she ground herself against his muscular thigh. The little control he had snapped tight and he grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head.

"If you continue I can't say for certain that I'll stop. Do you feel what you're doing to me?" he clenched his jaw and led her hand south just so she could see the affect she had on him. "You still think I don't want you? Because I swear to God, Elena, you drive me crazy and I would do things to you you'd never dream of for years, but you deserve better than some sleazy, back-alley fuck."

She gave him a sly smirk as she gave his dick a squeeze and he let out a very unmanly sound in response. "You're not gonna play fair, are you?" Damon croaked as he uncontrollably thrust into her hand. Elena shook her head slowly, eyes dilated and lips plump and wet from their heated make-out session.

He dived down to steal another kiss when his phone buzzed in his pocket. "Nooooo," he moaned pitifully.

"Answer it, what if it's important."

She was right though, everyone knew they were in Richmond tonight so he didn't know why they'd call unless it was an emergency.

"This better be good." Damon growled into his phone as he placed a final kiss on Elena's forehead.

"Damon? I'm sorry, I know you and Elena are out, but I didn't know who else to call." Caroline's panicked, shrill voice cried on the other end.

"Caroline, calm down." Damon gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile to Elena who stiffened at the sound of her friend's voice. "What's going on? Where is Stefan?" And why was Caroline calling from his little brother's phone, was the important question. Her sobs increased and she started to breathe unsteadily.

"Caroline! Breathe and tell me what's going on." Damon barked as he took Elena's hand and they headed back to his car. Elena tugged his arm and gave him a questioning look. She'd find out soon enough, as soon as he could get his keys and get the car started.

"I need you to come bail Stefan out." She whimpered.

"I'm sorry, it sounded like you said I needed to bail Stefan out. As in, out of jail."

"You heard correct."

Damon gave a heavy sigh as he tucked Elena into the car before running to his side and sliding in the driver's seat. "What happened?"

"We were all at The Grill. We finished decorating for the parade early, so we all went to get some burgers. Everything was going okay, then Tyler showed up. He and Jeremy got into it again, and then Stefan stepped in."

"Yeah, Saint Stefan likes to be a hero. Doesn't really make him a criminal though, does it?"

"Things got out of hand, some of us had a little too much to drink. They won't let me bail him out. Well, my mom won't."

"Damn it!" Damon shouted, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. Elena jumped, and took the phone from him so that he could pull out of the parking spot.

"Care? Who all was there?" she asked, putting the phone on speaker.

"Me, Stefan, Matt, Bonnie, Jeremy. A few others. Your brother's okay. Bonnie took him home, he hadn't been drinking. Mr. Saltzman and your aunt were out, so they don't know anything."

"Shit. We'll be home soon. Try to stay with him, if you can Caroline. Stefan's never gotten drunk before and…" he trailed off, not knowing how much Stefan had told her, but if he had to guess Caroline knew everything.

"Yeah, I know. I will. Hurry." Caroline said before hanging up.

"Can anything go right? Just once?" Elena sighed as she leaned her head back against the headrest.

"This is my problem, Elena, it doesn't have to be yours. I know Care is your friend, but he's my brother and I'm responsible for him. I can take you home." Damon offered, taking her hand.

Elena shook her head. "No, no. You're my boyfriend and I love you. And Stefan's my friend as much as he's your brother. Besides, with everything going on between you two…. you need Caroline and me."

They continued the drive home in tense silence, their joined hands the only sign of affection as Damon worried about his brother. It wasn't like Stefan to drink, Damon didn't understand why he'd decide to drink all the sudden.

Just over an hour later, Damon pulled into the parking lot of the Sherriff's Department and he and Elena walked in.

"Damon, Elena, thank god!" Caroline jumped up and rushed over to them, pulling them into a hug. Damon awkwardly patted her back as her shoulders began to shake with sobs.

"Calm down, Caroline. We're here." Elena was so much better at comforting than he was.

Damon pulled away and approached the desk. "I'm looking for Stefan Salvatore, I'm his legal guardian."

The deputy led him to the back, where they had Stefan sitting in a hard chair in an office. "Hello Stefan." Damon greeted his brother stonily as Elena and Caroline came in after him.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night, Elena." Stefan apologized, looking down at his interlocked hands.

"It's fine. I'm just glad everyone's okay." Elena crouched down in front of Stefan and took his hands in hers.

"What. Happened. Someone tell me now. I want the whole story, from start to finish." Damon ground out through clenched teeth. He was furious, and out of patience, for multiple reasons.

He shrugged, avoiding her eye contact. "Tyler went after your brother and he was going to hurt him. So, I stepped in."

"It was more than that, Stefan!" Caroline interrupted. Damon turned to look at Caroline for the first time since he'd walked in. Her face was tear-streaked and hair messy as if she'd been running her fingers through it all night.

"Stefan, what happened? Seriously. I don't even think I've ever seen you angry." Elena said as she stood up to take a seat in the chair next to Stefan.

"We were all just having fun, just eating some burgers and laughing. And then Tyler came in with Vicki. We had a few drinks, no big deal. Elena, you and I had more to drink at the back to school party. He made a dig at Jeremy about Vicki and Bonnie, and Jeremy went off on him. Tyler went all alpha male douche bag, so Stefan stepped in and it got loud, and we all got kicked out."

"Okay, Tyler gets in a fight with someone every day, according to you idiots." Damon snapped. "Why the fuck did you call me when I was about to-" he cut off abruptly, sensitive to Elena's presence. He had been mere minutes away from getting a hotel room and fucking Elena within an inch of her life, but he got the feeling if he announced it to the room, he wouldn't get the chance again for a long time.

"Tyler and Stefan got really aggressive, Matt grabbed Ty and Bonnie and I grabbed Stefan. You were irate, Stefan. Like, you couldn't see straight through the rage. We didn't know what to do." Caroline whispered. "It was scary. We thought you were gonna kill each other, so Bonnie called my mom. Please don't be mad, Damon!" she pleaded, turning to Damon.

"Don't worry about it." Damon dismissed.

"I'm sorry, Care. I…I didn't mean to scare you." Stefan whispered, his face crumpled in guilt.

"It's…it's fine, Stefan." Caroline said unconvincingly. Damon had never seen her look so timid and frightened, but he couldn't blame her.

"Give me a minute, would you?" he motioned for Elena and Caroline to leave the room. They made eye contact, hesitating for a minute. "I just want to talk to my brother for a minute, I'm not going to hurt him. _I'm_ not drunk." He gave Stefan a pointed look. The girls walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked behind them.

"If you ever pull this stunt again," Damon warned, grabbing Stefan by his collar and wrenching him out of his seat.

"What? You're not my father. What are you going to do?"

"You're damn right I'm not our father. He would have beat your ass for this. Is that what you want?" Damon shoved him away. "If I ever-and I mean _ever_ -hear about you drinking again, I will make you never want to see alcohol again in your life. I handle my alcohol. I don't get drunk. We've seen how I am under the influence. But you? You've never had a drink in your life. With our past, you don't get drunk like that without someone close. Someone like _me_."

"Fine, I'm sorry. Let's just go home." Damon led Stefan out into the hall.

Elena and Caroline whipped their heads around. "Is everything okay?"

Stefan allowed Caroline to pull him into a hug and wrapped his arms around her hesitantly.

"You ready to go home?" Damon gave Elena a tight smile.

"Yeah, let's go." She answered quietly, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders as he led them out. It had been a long night with a surprise ending and he was ready for it to be over.

* * *

"Damon, can I ask you something?" Elena asked hesitantly. She and Damon were lounging on the couch, her head in his lap while he had a book propped on the arm of the couch.

"No, Elena. I will not take my shirt off again." Damon sighed. "Insatiable, you are."

Elena tossed a pillow into his face. "Shut up." She giggled before returning to her serious mood. "Really, can I ask you something and you not get angry?"

Damon's smirk slowly melted away, a frown taking its place. "You know you can, but I'm not going to promise I won't get mad. What is it?"

Elena sat up and turned her body towards him. "So, we've been dating for a while now. And I love you, you know I do. You make me laugh and forget about all the drama with my friends and family. Not to mention, you've been great with Jeremy, getting him back on the right track. I miss my parents just a little less when I'm with you. And you are just so amazing."

"I sense there is a but somewhere. And unless it's your utterly delightful butt, then I have no interest in it." Damon teased as he pulled her closer so he could give her rear a quick pinch. "I'm sorry," he laughed, "I'll stop, go ahead."

"Well, I heard something that I've been thinking about. I brushed it off when I first heard it because it's just ridiculous, and I didn't want to offend you or make you angry, and I definitely didn't want to start drama because I know things are complicated between you and Stefan, and I'm sure it's just a miscommunication or something…. But did you ever-I mean, you never hurt Katherine, did you?" Elena stumbled, looking up at Damon through her lashes as her cheeks reddened at the shame of asking her boyfriend if he had abusive tendencies.

Damon's eyes widened for a moment before his face twisted in incredulity. "I'm sorry, _what_?"

"Damon,"

"No, no, I'm sorry. Did you just ask me what I think you're asking me?" He shot up onto his feet.

"It's just-Stefan, he-he said-" Elena stuttered before Damon took off, stomping out of the room and up the stairs. Elena took off after him, trying to stop him but he didn't stop until he was outside a bedroom door.

"Stefan!" he bellowed, slamming his fist against the door. "Get out here. Now."

Stefan opened his door, confusion all over his face. "Is everything okay? Elena, what-" Stefan began, seeing the murderous face his brother was giving him.

"You told Elena that I hurt Katherine? Are you out of your fucking mind?" Damon threw his hands around crazily, hurt and anger all over his face.

"No, I…." Stefan began before his eyes lit up in understanding. "Elena wasn't supposed to know that."

"What the fuck, Stef? I don't even _understand_ you-if you thought it was true why wouldn't you want your friend knowing? Or did you realize it was a lie and just not fucking care!"

Elena backed up, startled at the anger Damon was exhibiting towards Stefan. She didn't think he was guilty of the things she had heard-if he was, he would have had a very different reaction. But she had never seen Damon direct this level of anger towards his brother. She was used to Stefan showing him cold indifference, and Damon replying with some sort of snarky insult. But never this anger.

"Katherine came to see me after you guys broke up. She told me everything, Damon." Stefan said slowly, stepping outside of his room.

"Yeah, I bet she fucking did. She's a manipulative _cunt_ , Stefan. How could you believe a goddamn word she says?" Damon thundered.

"And you just sound like the image of stable, don't you?" Stefan scoffed before turning to Elena. "Could you give us some privacy, Elena?"

"No, Elena." Damon began, grabbing her arm.

"Damon," Elena reasoned, prying his fingers off her arm. "Let go, Damon." When he wouldn't budge, she slapped at his hand. "Damon, you're hurting me-" she whimpered. At that Damon's hand flew away from her as if her skin burned. Damon was scaring her, she had never seen him like this and she immediately regretted saying anything to him. She took off down the hall, ready to get out of there. She couldn't handle seeing Damon angry like that and she didn't want to be there anymore.

She heard Damon call after her, but ignored it. She grabbed her coat and bag before wrenching the door open, skidding to a halt when her exit was blocked.

"Hello. You must be Elena." The woman purred. "I'm Katherine."


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Don't hate me you guys! Things will turn out okay, I promise. This chapter was meant to be a bit longer, but I haven't had time to write much since last update and wanted to get something out to you guys. Hope it doesn't disappoint! Thank you to all that review, I enjoy reading what you think and replying.**

Elena stood frozen as she stared at the woman before her.

"Well, are you going to just stand there orrrrr…" Katherine said, drawing out her last word. Elena knew she resembled Katherine-Damon had admitted it to her months ago, but it was still odd to see it. Katherine had the same hair, the same bone structure. What really drew them apart was Katherine's style. Her hair was styled into a mountain of curls, her makeup flawlessly perfected, and her feet enclosed in stilettos that made her tower over Elena. Where Elena was innocent and youthful, Katherine was seductive and sophisticated.

"I-I don't think you should be here right now." Elena hesitated, knowing the fight that was going on upstairs.

"Oh, so you've heard about me, then. Excellent." Katherine smiled before strolling in past her. "Good to know Damon still cares."

"No," Elena followed her to the couch. "I'm his girlfriend." She glared, not liking how comfortable Katherine seemed to be in this house that wasn't hers. How did Katherine even know about Elena? From what Elena understood, Katherine wasn't from Mystic Falls, and Damon said they hadn't spoken in over a year.

Katherine laughed. "Oh, honey, you're what, like 15?" her eyes roamed up and down Elena's body. Elena crossed her arms, suddenly self-conscious of her plain looking jeans and Henley.

"Excuse you." Elena objected. "You're right, I've heard all about you. So I know you showed up here uninvited, and you're most definitely not welcome. I think you should leave." Elena raised her eyebrows, confident at the upper hand she had gained in the conversation.

Katherine met Elena's glare for a moment, unmoving. Damon's angry voice traveled down the stairs as his argument with Stefan increased in ferocity. Katherine's eyes darted toward the stairs and she stood up and walked towards them. But before she could make it to the staircase, Damon came bounding down the stairs.

"Elena, I…" he faltered, slowing to a stop as he noticed Katherine's presence in the sitting room.

"Hello Damon." Katherine gave a satisfied smirk as her hands went to her hips.

"Katherine." He choked. Stefan tripped down the stairs, stumbling as he took in what was going on in front of him. Damon threw out his arm to prevent Stefan from tumbling down the stairs to Katherine's feet.

"Long time, no see." She sauntered over to the stairs and leaned against the railing.

"How-what-when…what the fuck, Katherine?" Damon swore in bewilderment.

"Well, that's no way to talk to your guest." Katherine pouted as she propped her chin up, elbow resting on the banister.

Elena let out a cry like a wounded animal before she gathered her senses and ran for the door, ignoring the brothers' calls for her to wait. She needed to get out of there, away from Damon. She didn't know what Katherine was doing there, but she couldn't handle knowing. Not right now. She needed to get home, to the comfort of her room. She needed her bed, her aunt, her parents, she didn't know. She just needed not this. Whatever this was.

When she was questioned later about how she got home without a car, she couldn't give a straight answer. She'd checked out as soon as she walked out the door, silencing Damon and Stefan's shouts. She didn't remember Jenna, Alaric, and Jeremy asking her what was wrong when she entered her childhood home and robotically walked up the stairs to her room. She wasn't aware of Jeremy following her into her room, his voice panicked as he questioned her whereabouts. She didn't remember getting a shower and crying until the water ran cold, nor did she remember putting on pajamas and crawling into bed. But the next morning, when she woke up to her aunt gently waking her up with a cup of extra strong coffee, Jenna filled her in on everything.

"What happened, Elena? You scared me last night." Jenna's brow creased in worry as she perched on the edge of her niece's bed, hands folded in her lap.

Elena wrapped her hands around the mug, enjoying how the steam warmed her cold hands and seeped into her pores.

"Damon and I broke up." Elena said, the words seeming foreign in her mouth. They didn't seem accurate, but what other words would she use to describe the utter pain that sat heavy in her stomach, preventing her from breathing properly?

Jenna's face crumpled. "Honey, I'm _so_ sorry."

When Elena didn't say anything more, Jenna prodded once more. "What happened? Why did you guys break up? You two seemed so happy." She smoothed Elena's hair, brushing it off her cheek where her tears had matted it overnight.

"His ex showed up." Elena replied woodenly.

"Oh."

"I really don't want to talk about it, Aunt Jenna." Elena sighed as she took a sip of her coffee.

Jenna didn't move for a moment, but finally nodded with a heavy sigh. "If you don't want to talk to me, talk to your friends at least, okay? I love you, sweetie. Get some rest." She gave Elena a gentle pat on the leg before she stood and walked out of the room, cracking the door behind her.

Elena set her coffee on the bedside table and fell back into her pillows, pulling the blanket up around her. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't want to see anyone. She just wanted her bed to swallow her up so she could fade into nonexistence. She knew any minute Damon would call her, or worse, show up and she just wasn't ready to face him. She told her aunt they had broken up because she didn't know what else to say. How do you tell your aunt _well, his ex showed up and he may or may not have been abusive to her, I mean I'm pretty sure he wasn't but who knows and I don't know why she's here and I just don't know how to deal with that information_?

Saying they broke up was the easy route. It was also a surefire way of keeping Damon away from her house. She knew it was the pathetic and cowardly route, but she was in self-preservation mode right now. She could formulate a plan later.

* * *

Damon felt his legs give out and held onto the railing as he sank down to sit on the stair.

"What is happening?" Damon mourned as he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled in agitation. It wasn't enough that this bitch had strung him along for years before ripping his heart out. She had to come here and stir things up again. It was like she had a sixth sense of when Damon was finally getting his life together. He had a good business going, he was happily in love (which was a feat itself after the hell she put him through), and he was developing good friendships with Caroline, who wasn't nearly as bad as she had seemed, and Jenna and Alaric. But he could kiss all that goodbye now that Katherine was here. Elena was upset, and they would never forgive him for that.

"And you," he looked up at Stefan. "I can't believe you."

"Why should I believe _you_?" Stefan crossed his arms.

"I'm your brother!" Damon shouted, his face contorted in disbelief and anger. "Are we really that far gone?"

Stefan was silent for several moments before giving a big sigh and sitting down next to Damon. "Tell me what happened."

"You gonna believe me?" Damon scoffed, looking over at his brother.

Stefan shrugged. "Honestly, so much has happened I don't know. But something about Katherine showing up isn't right. If everything she said was true, she wouldn't have shown up like this."

Damon lifted his head up and cleared his throat. This was the best chance he'd had in years to recover his relationship with his little brother, and he was scared about screwing it up. Stefan was all the family he had left, he needed him. Stefan needed him.

"Okay." He nodded. "Okay. I'll tell you everything."

* * *

 _Damon glanced around the room, taking in the scene around him. He had taken off work early to prepare for tonight. He had flowers covering the surfaces of the counters and table, with candle dispersed among them to create a romantic glow throughout the room. The sheer curtains were parted slightly, allowing the setting sun to shine in through the room. He had the small table for 2 set up for dinner. He'd made Katherine her favorite meal-lobster tails served with garlic bread and baked potatoes, and he was just waiting for her to get home from her last class of the week._

 _Tonight was the night. He and Katherine had been together for 4 years and he'd never been happier. He'd bought a ring months ago and with the help of her friend, Isobel, had planned an epic evening that he hoped ended in her saying yes. He took one more glance around the room, making sure everything was in place when the lock clicked and the door slowly opened to reveal his beautiful soon-to-be fiancée._

" _Damon," she gasped in surprise, "what's all this?" Katherine dropped her bag by the door and walked into the room._

" _Happy anniversary, Kat." Damon brushed her long locks behind her shoulders as his hands moved north to gently cup her face._

" _This is…unexpected." She gave a small smile as she allowed Damon to lead her to a chair. Once she was settled in he hurried over to the kitchen to get the wine that had been breathing while he made dinner._

" _You made my favorite meal. Thank you, honey." Katherine smiled as she accepted the glass of wine from Damon._

" _It's a special occasion." He placed a kiss on the crown of her head before sitting down across from her._

 _Damon watched her take a bite of her food, his chest tight with anxiety. He was certain she'd say yes. They'd had a happy relationship, with little disagreement, and she was incredibly supportive of Damon and the complications he had at home. He was certain there was no one else he'd rather spend his life with. But still, a big question like this still sparked nerves in even the most self-assured man. He hoped she liked the ring, although Isobel said she'd love it. His plan had been to wait until the end of dinner, but he wasn't going to be able to eat until he asked._

" _Katherine, you know I love you. These last 4 years have been nothing short of incredible." Damon took a deep breath and reached for his pocket._

" _They really have." Katherine replied, refilling her wine glass. "4 years. That's…wow." She gave a little shake of her head in amazement._

 _Damon stood up and kneeled beside the table, at Katherine's feet._

" _Damon! What are you doing?" Katherine's eyes widened in alarm, but Damon paid no mind._

" _Katherine Pierce, you changed my life the day I walked into Civics 101 and sat next to you. You are beautiful and funny and the most interesting woman I've ever met. These past 4 years have been some of the happiest, most thrilling, and perfect years of my life. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. Will you marry me?" Damon presented the ring, a grin taking over his face and making his cheeks ache as he awaited her response._

" _Oh, Damon. I-I don't know what to say." Katherine whispered._

" _Say yes." Damon raised a corner of his mouth into an open-mouthed smirk. Katherine's perfectly manicured eyebrows knitted in concern and Damon's face fell. No. No this isn't the reaction she was supposed to have. She was supposed to cry in joy and shock and jump into his arms, screaming her acceptance of his proposal._

" _I can't. I'm sorry." Katherine reached a hand out toward him but Damon jumped up and away before she could make contact._

" _What…what do you mean you_ can't _? That's-that's not…no." Damon stammered in confusion. Why was this going all wrong? He had planned this out perfectly, and now it was all wrong._

 _Katherine slowly shook her head, her eyes pitying. "I don't want to marry you, Damon."_

" _Were you wanting to wait until graduation? I know it's soon, and we don't have to get married right away, we can have a long engag-" Damon tried hard to understand._

" _No. No." Katherine urged forcefully. "I don't want to marry_ you _." Her face straightened, all emotion fading from her features. "I'm sorry Damon, this has been fun. You're a great guy,_ amazing _in bed," she emphasized with wide eyes and a sexy smile at that last part and Damon's stomach dropped to his feet. Did she think he gave a damn about his skills in bed right now? "But no."_

 _The anxiety that had been sitting in his stomach, just under his ribcage, turned into white-hot fury. "If you never wanted to marry me, what have we been doing the last 4 years? What in the hell, Katherine?"_

 _Katherine gave a noncommittal shrug. "You were fun, we got along. I even put up with your little brother because he's cute. But let's be honest, Damon, you could never provide me with the life I want. All you want is to get out of Chicago, and back to that little backwoods town you grew up in. That's not me. I want adventure, a big fancy apartment, a nice, cushy job in the city. You want a family, and that's the last thing I want."_

" _Get out."_

" _What? No, this is our apartment. I'm not leaving." Katherine scoffed, crossing her arms defiantly._

" _I swear to God, Katherine," Damon swore as he turned around and hurled the box at the wall in anger. How could she do this? The heartless bitch was just having_ fun _? "Get out now."_

 _Katherine stood up with a heavy sigh and walked back to the bedroom. Damon strode after her, not content with her lack of enthusiasm. Not when he was standing there, wrecked, with his heart on the floor after she'd effectively destroyed it._

 _Katherine was gathering clothes, opening and closing drawers, throwing things on the bed. Damon watched her, frozen in dismay. How had things gone south so quickly? How had he not seen this? He wasn't a naive little boy. If what Katherine was saying were true, he would've known. They had been living together for a long time,_ he would have known _._

" _Fuck you." He trembled._

 _Katherine stopped what she was doing, dropping the shirt in her hands as she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry?" she gave a terse laugh._

 _His anger was furthered by her glib attitude and needing to hit something, he flipped their bedside table and felt a small trace of satisfaction at her jump._

" _What is it darling?" he asked, his tone caustic. "Surprised I'm not on my knees, begging to kiss your ass? I mean, that's why you've kept me around so long, isn't it? Because I'm good for your ego and good for a decent fuck?"_

 _Katherine rolled her eyes. "Stop it with the dramatics, Damon. I don't love you, I don't want to marry you, et cetera."_

 _It was then that Damon noticed what she was gathering. It wasn't her belongings, it was his. She was kicking him out. If he was honest, he wasn't surprised. This was so Katherine._

 _He wrenched a bag from the closet and shoved a handful of his clothes into it. Fuck her, fuck the last 4 years, fuck this apartment. He was done. He zipped the bag once it was full._

" _I'll have my stuff out by the end of the night. Have a nice goddamn life, Katherine." He stormed out of the room, grabbing his keys and phone. He was going to head back to the place he'd spent his teenage years, pack up the shit he and Stefan wanted, and they were going to get their own place. It was time._

* * *

"Wait, so she just showed up? On their front step, unannounced?"

Elena nodded her head.

"What. A. Bitch." Bonnie scoffed as she settled back on Elena's bed. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. I mean, I know I'm going to have to talk to Damon or Stefan eventually. I mean, the pageant is coming up."

"Is it too late to get another escort?"

"Yes. The last practice is tomorrow afternoon. My only other feasible option is Matt and even if he could get off work, he doesn't have time to learn the routine." Elena groaned, annoyed at how complicated things had become. It was enough that her boyfriend's ex showed up, but the timing couldn't be worse.

"I'll totally be your escort." Bonnie gave her best friend a wink.

The first smile of the day graced Elena's face. "I wish. It'll be fine, I'll get over it. I'm sure Damon and I will talk before then, as much as I don't want to."

"It probably wouldn't hurt to take a breather. You two _have_ been spending a lot of time together. Maybe a break will help. It will give you time to sort things out and clear everything up. And in the meantime, if he gives you any crap, you come to me. I'll take care of him." Bonnie asserted as she stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"We need some comfort food." Bonnie said, as if it was obvious.

"It's my house!" Elena protested, pulling back the covers before Bonnie held a hand up.

"Nope, you always take care of us. Let someone take care of you for a change." Bonnie laughed at Elena's pout as she skipped out of the room. Elena settled back against her headboard, amused at her friend's insistence at taking care of Elena. Elena did her period of sulking and she was done. She wasn't going to let this destroy her, it just wasn't an option. She'd been through too much to let a little boy drama ruin her. Sure, Damon was sweet and attentive and incredibly attractive (and better than any of her previous boyfriends, by far, if she was completely honest with herself) but he wasn't the end all, be all. Besides, she didn't even have the whole story. She didn't know if Stefan's accusations were true or not, and she didn't know why Katherine was in town, or how she knew about Elena. It was easy to be mad and upset at the Salvatore brothers for their dishonesty, but she knew it was a bit unfair of her to form an opinion without all the information.

Elena pulled herself out of her thoughts to wonder what was taking Bonnie so long. She threw the covers back and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. She hadn't spent that much time in bed in a long time, and she felt it.

"Is it true, Elena?"

Elena jumped at the sound of the door swinging open with such a force that made it bounce off the wall. She turned to the joint bathroom she shared with Jeremy to see him standing in the doorway, anger radiating off him.

"Wh-what are you talking about, Jer?" Elena stuttered, crossing her arms defensively.

"Tell me it's not true, about Damon. And that you didn't _know_."

"What are you talking about, Jeremy?"

"Did he hurt you?" Jeremy strode into the room and grabbed Elena's shoulders, examining her.

"What? No, _God_ , Jeremy." Elena cried, wrenching herself from her brother's grasp. "Jesus, what the _hell_?"

"I know about the shit that's going on. There's a rumor that Damon was abusive to his ex, and that you've known about it since like, October."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I don't know where you're getting this from. Stay out of it."

Jeremy gave a short laugh. "No. I'm not gonna fucking stay out of it if that dick hurt you-or someone else. Why are you so chill about this?"

"I'm not chill about anything, Jeremy." Elena gave a derisive snort. "Damon never hurt me."

"Then why'd you break up?"

"Oh my God, are you spying on me and Jenna?"

"No, Jenna told me. She told me to leave you alone today."

"I see you're following her advice." Elena didn't know how Jeremy heard about what was going on, but she wasn't going to let it slip that the rumors had merit. Things traveled like wildfire in the middle of a drought in this town and she wasn't about to make things harder on herself, or Damon. Not until she got more information.

"Lots of non-answers coming out of your mouth." He retorted smugly.

"How many times do I have to – Damon _didn't_ hurt me, Jeremy. He would never hurt me. We broke up, yes. But it's frankly none of your business. I don't know who is spreading rumors, or why, but they're wrong."

"Might wanna talk to your friends, then. They're the ones running their mouths." Jeremy spat before slamming the door behind him, leaving Elena alone.

She stood, frozen. Her friends were the ones talking about her relationship with Damon? She knew it wasn't Bonnie. Even if Bonnie hadn't spent the morning with her, Bonnie kept to herself and was quiet. She didn't participate in the petty high school drama that everyone else in their extended circle thrived on. Did everyone know about Damon? Did they all think Elena was some sort of victim? The urge to talk to Damon was getting stronger by the minute. Regardless of her relationship, she didn't want Damon blindsided by this.

Elena cursed to herself before wrenching open her drawers to grab the first clothes she saw. She was pulling jeans over her hips when Bonnie walked back in the room, two plates full of sandwiches in her hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Bon, I have to go. I have to talk to Damon." Elena rushed as she glanced in the mirror to look at her face. She looked a mess, with bags under her eyes and messy waves but she didn't have time to do anything about it.

"Well, can I at least-" Bonnie offered before Elena cut her off.

"Talk to my brother."

She pulled up in Damon's driveway 15 minutes later. Caroline, Stefan, and Damon's cars all out front. So, this was going to happen with an audience, lovely. Elena slowly stepped out of her car and walked up the steps, ready to open the door. At the last minute, she raised her fist to knock. It didn't seem right walking in like she normally did. As soon as her fist made contact, the heavy door swung open to reveal just who she wanted to see.

"Elena," Damon sighed, a careful smile gracing his lips. Elena let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding and felt the band that was tight around her chest, constricting her lungs and heart let go. Even with last night, his presence still had the ability to calm her.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I was shocked and angry, and that's no excuse for how I treated you. And I swear, I have no idea why Katherine is here, I don't know how-" he struggled, his eyes wide and apologetic.

"I'm-I'm not." Elena stumbled and took a breath before trying again. "I'm not here to talk about that. Well, not really. Look, my brother said that there's talk going around. Someone spilled, and it wasn't me. I just…I wanted to warn you."

"Spilled? About what?" Damon hesitated as he stepped aside to let Elena in. She waited a moment, not sure if she wanted to step inside, but she ultimately acquiesced.

"About you and Katherine. But everyone thinks I've known about it for months, so Jeremy thought you'd hit me as well."

"Elena, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Elena looked up to see Stefan and Caroline hurrying down the staircase. Damon rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his eyes to the floor.

"I don't really want to talk to you right now. I just came to let Damon know. That's it. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Elena said before spinning around and walking out of the Salvatore house and away from their surprised faces.

* * *

Elena walked into the gym after school. She had been dreading the last practice for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant all day, causing her to drag her feet all through the day.

"Elena, there you are! How are you doing?" Caroline greeted Elena with a beaming smile.

"I'm fine." She intoned, focused on the zippers on her messenger bag. She didn't look back up until Mrs. Lockwood called for positions and Elena threw her bag against the wall before taking her position.

She looked up to see Damon standing across from her, looking sexy as ever. She curtsied and bit her lip, trying to keep her emotions under control as they started the traditional waltz they would be doing on Saturday.

"Don't, Damon." Elena murmured as Damon tried to work his charm on her. "You're only here because it was too late for me to make other arrangements."

"Elena," Damon sighed as he gave her a twirl.

"No. You don't get to…not until you explain yourself." Elena's voice rattled as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She hadn't been in such proximity to him since before Katherine's appearance. She didn't even know if Katherine was still in town, she hadn't been there when Elena stopped by the day before. His cologne invaded her senses, his hand burning through her shirt where his hand laid on her lower back. Regardless of his effect on her, it was neither the time nor the place for her emotions to get the better of her. She had meant it when she told herself she wasn't going to lose it over some guy.

"To be fair, you haven't even let me." Damon pressed his lips together.

Elena opened her mouth to give a vicious retort when, with a spin, she landed in Stefan's arms.

"Oh, come on." She groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"Elena, I'm sorry for the part I had in all this." He apologized, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Why didn't you come out and tell me?" she challenged, looking up at him. He was one of her best friends, if this was true how could he have kept it from her? Either he knew it was a lie and was fine with perpetuating falsehoods, or he thought it was true and just didn't care. She wasn't sure what was worse.

"I was wrong. I…I thought I knew everything, I thought I understood."

"Why is she here, Stefan? I don't understand."

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know, Elena. It's not Damon's fault though. I know I've been the least supportive when it comes to you two, but talk to Damon. Please." He said before he spun her around. She pulled apart as the dance ended, and as soon as the music stopped, she took off out of the gym.

"Elena!" she heard her friends call out after her, but she paused for no one. She stopped and bent over as she reached the parking lot, her hands braced on her knees as she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the grass. The stress was getting to her, she hadn't talked to anyone but Bonnie in the last 24 hours. She didn't trust anyone. She didn't know who had started the rumors, and she was tired of the pitying and repulsed looks that had been shot in her direction all day. She didn't even know the truth herself so how could she dispel the rumors? She was filled with anger, she wanted to hurt whoever had caused this train wreck that showed no signs of slowing down.

A hand touched her back, rubbing small comforting circled as she wiped her mouth and steadied her breathing. She looked up to see Damon. "I can't-I can't do this, Damon." She cried. He didn't say anything as he continued to rub her back and brush her matted hair away from her forehead.

"I never once lied to you, Elena. _Never_ , you hear me? I may be guilty of a million things, but I've never lied." He lamented as he gathered her in his arms. "I love you so, so much. Please believe that."

"I never asked you, though. I was too freaking scared." She choked out, pulling away from him to bury her face in her hands. "Why did Stefan think that…" she was unable to finish her sentence. She didn't understand why anyone would falsely accuse someone of such terrible things.

"Katherine is evil and manipulative and lives for destruction, okay? She's crazy. You don't understand that because you've seen so little evil in your life, something you are so, so lucky for." He ran his hands through her hair before pulling her hands away from her face, forcing her to look him in the face.

"Let me explain to you, please. I will tell you everything you want to know, I promise."

Elena thought about it for a moment as she searched his eyes. This man in front of her, begging her forgiveness and doing everything he could to care for her, this was the boyfriend she had fallen in love with. She wasn't sure if she was ready to be with him again, but she knew she needed all the facts before she could decide.

Elena nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." She allowed Damon to lead her out to his car, and they headed to his house. It was time to get the whole story.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait guys, but university comes first! Good news, the semester is over and I got final grades today so in celebration, here is a short chapter for you guys. Even though Mother's Day is this weekend, I hope to get a lot of writing done so we will hopefully have an update shortly!**

* * *

Elena glanced up from her hands to watch Damon prod the fire. Within minutes he had it roaring and turned to sit down across from her, oblivious to her attention.

"I would have told you, had I known." He spoke quietly.

"I know."

"I really am sorry."

"I know."

"Is there anything I can say to take this all back?"

Elena sucked in a deep breath, contemplating his question. She knew he was sorry, she knew he didn't mean for everything to blow up in their faces like that. But what was done was done, they could only move forward or not at all.

"Frankly, no. You know, I didn't give a damn about your side at first. I was so, so angry with you. But things are snowballing too fast. I only came over yesterday because I didn't want you to be blindsided with what people were saying like I was. And then Stefan – who has never been on our side, by the way – tells me to talk to you. So, I need to know what happened. All of it. Before I can move forward."

"Elena," Damon hesitated.

"No." she cut him off. "You don't get to be hesitant. You don't get to hold back. If you had been honest from the beginning, then sure. But not now."

Damon closed his mouth and gave a curt nod, looking chagrined. "Tell me what you want to know."

"Is Katherine still here?"

"Yes. No, no, not in this house." He backtracked quickly at the look of horror on Elena's face. "But she is here in town."

"Do you have any idea why?"

"I assume she wants something. Katherine always wants something." Damon shrugged.

"How did you guys leave things? Maybe that will answer the question."

"I met Katherine during a very…volatile part of my life. I wasn't handling things well. I was constantly worried about Stefan while trying to throw myself in school. I was fighting with my father constantly, with him threatening to cut me off once a week just to get me to do what he wanted. I didn't have anyone to turn to, I was the one others turned to.

"Katherine was different. Vibrant, seductive, all-encompassing. With her, I could forget all the shit at home. She was a great distraction, and as a fashion major, she was as far from my life as you could get. Things were great, _really_ great, for a long time. But if there's one thing I know about Katherine, it's that she's never what she seems."

Elena shifted, uncomfortable at Damon's admission. She knew Damon had loved before her, she may be young but he wasn't. The chances of him not finding love until 25 were slim to none, especially given his looks and personality. But just because she knew it was inevitable didn't mean she wanted to hear all about his past liaisons. Especially with a woman who looked a lot like her.

"What happened?"

"I loved her, more than I'd loved anyone before. She was there for me when my father died, and helped me take care of Stefan. Never once did she seem unenthused or unhappy about the fact that I was responsible for someone. So, on her 22nd birthday, I asked her to marry me. This part you already know. She said no, told me how she never wanted to marry me, that she just felt bad for me. I screamed at her, I was furious. I had thrown myself into the relationship because I just didn't want to deal with home. That night I packed up my stuff and moved Stefan and myself into an apartment just off campus."

"And then let me guess – she told someone, I'm assuming Stefan, that you were abusive."

Damon nodded as he looked down, suddenly captivated by his shoes. It took a moment for Elena to place the emotion on his face, but it was shame.

"I don't believe you actually hurt her, Damon." Elena leaned forward to hold Damon's hand, her fingers wrapping around his. He looked up to meet her gaze and she winced at the pain reflected in his eyes. This was her Damon, the one who made her dinner the first time she came over and took her to the decade dance and was so kind and patient and passionate. He was just as hurt by these rumors as she was, maybe even more so.

"I'm sorry." She continued after the moment of silence made it clear that Damon wasn't ready to speak.

He jumped back, wrenching his hand away before he flew to his feet. "Wait, _what_? Why are you sorry?"

"You've spent the last few years not understanding why your brother hated you. And to find out he's held animosity toward you for false reasons, that must be hard. I don't know what I'd do if I was in that sort of situation with Jeremy. And then if on top of all that, the person you loved didn't even believe you…I'm just-I'm sorry." Elena hated that she hadn't come to Damon sooner about the snippets of half-truths that she'd heard and for letting this fester for as long as it had. She hadn't been ready to deal with the idea of it being true, and she had been selfish for that.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Elena. God, I-I can't…fuck, Elena." Damon's pained voice stumbled. He pulled her up and held her close in his arms. "I love you so much. I fucked up and I'm sorry, but please don't feel bad. I can't handle that. Promise me you won't." He whispered into her hair.

"Okay. Okay, I won't. I promise." She agreed. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders as his arms held on to her tight. She knew they weren't back to how things were, and there were still things that needed to be discussed, but their talk was a big step in the right direction, and that was all she could hope for.

* * *

Elena sat in front of the mirror, watching her aunt curl her hair.

"Thank you for helping me, Aunt Jenna."

Jenna laughed. "Don't thank me just yet. You'll wish your mom were here when I'm done with your hair."

She finished the last few curls before she sat the wand down and stepped back. "All done!"

At Elena's lack of a response, her aunt asked, "You doing okay, Elena?"

"I'm fine, just…. you know." She replied lamely. Jenna didn't know the full extent of what was going on between Elena and Damon, she didn't want her aunt to worry, and she also didn't want to give her aunt a reason to dislike Damon. It was best to keep their drama quiet. At least for now. She knew Jenna would find out soon enough, rumors were flying through town already.

Jenna walked out of the room, giving Elena a chance to change into her dress. She started to unbutton her shirt when the door opened and Caroline came in.

"Hi Elena." Caroline smiled timidly.

"Hi."

"I um…look, I'm sorry Elena. I didn't mean-"

"Caroline, no. I can't-I'm not doing this right now." Elena turned around to cut Caroline off.

"Elena,"

"No! We're about to walk downstairs, Caroline, and everyone will see you and say 'Oh, look how beautiful the Sherriff's daughter looks, did you hear about her work on the MF Beautification Committee?'. Do you know what they'll say about me, all because word somehow got out about Damon hitting me?" Elena hissed furiously.

Caroline's eyes widened comically and Elena probably would have laughed under different circumstances. "What? How?"

"Don't act so surprised, you're more tuned into the gossip than I am so I know you had to have heard people at school. He didn't, by the way."

"Who spread it through school, though?"

Elena took a moment to relax her breathing before she responded. "Who else but you? You told Bonnie, and I know she didn't say anything."

"What-how do you-" Caroline sputtered before she was interrupted by the door opening to reveal the Salvatore brothers.

 _Lovely. Perfect, just perfect_ , Elena thought.

"Stefan told you. You told Bonnie." Elena's hand fisted around the open ends of her shirt, holding it closed.

"What's going on?" Damon asked, looking back and forth between the two girls. Elena crossed her arms and fixed Caroline with a tight-lipped smile.

"Care to share with the class?" Elena knew she was being snotty but had trouble caring.

Caroline opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water as she looked at Damon and Stefan for help. Stefan watched her with incredulous eyes. Elena guessed he never found out about Caroline spilling to Bonnie. Damon had one hand still on the doorknob, watching the scene before him intently.

"While we're on the subject of your inability to keep your mouth shut, why didn't you tell me? You know I would've been discreet."

"Elena, I…I don't know what you want me to say." Caroline faltered, her eyes watering with unshed tears.

"The _truth_ , Care. You're one of my best friends. If our roles had been reversed, telling you would have been my first priority. Instead, you decided to make sure the whole school knew."

"I mean, sure, I believed it at first. But as I spent time at Stefan's, I got to know Damon and then Stefan told me the whole story and I just-look, I knew Damon wasn't a bad guy, okay? You know me! You're my best friend, do you really think I'd let you be alone with Damon if he was dangerous? And I didn't tell the whole school, I promise. I only told Bonnie, you have to believe me."

"Just get out, please. I can't even look at you right now." Elena cried, giving a frustrated swipe across her face to get rid of her tears.

"God, Elena, I-" Caroline banged her fist on the table beside her. "Look, I'm freaking sorry, okay? But I knew you were okay. So don't you dare throw this holier than thou shit at me, I'm sick of it."

"Hey, hey, why don't we just calm down before we say something we don't mean. Just cool off." Stefan stepped in and gently pulled Caroline back.

"And you!" Elena rounded on Stefan, the blonde forgotten. "You're even worse than her. You didn't think to ever talk to your own brother? You were just content to believe the worst about him? You two deserve each other." Elena spat furiously, her eyes shooting daggers at the couple.

"Fuck you, Elena." Caroline was out of the room before Elena could blink, Stefan right behind her. Elena took two deep breaths before she burst into tears, allowing the stress and anger to escape her body through the sobs that tore through her body. She doubled over, one hand grasping the table to keep her upright. Damon's arms were around her in an instant, pulling her into his arms as his shoulder muffled her cries.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I just, I'm so angry. And I have to walk downstairs and see all those people and it's just-it's too much." Elena pulled away but kept her eyes focused on the knot in Damon's tie. She worried that the tears would come back if she looked at his crystal blue eyes.

"I know. But you know what? You're gonna do it anyway. I'm going to help you fix your makeup and you're going to walk down those steps with a smile on your face, dance with me, and then forget about all those fuckers. They're not important to you anyway. You are so much better than this town, Elena." Damon consoled as he gently wiped her eyes dry before giving her a gentle smile.

Elena nodded. "You're right, okay."

10 minutes later she was walking down the winding staircase and linking her arm with Damon. He smiled reassuringly and gave her hand a small squeeze. She followed his lead through the French doors out to where the other contestants were lined up with their partners.

"Oh my God, how can she be here with him?"

"I don't see any bruises, but you never know these days."

Elena winced at the whispers that surrounded them. She knew they were false but that did little to calm her nerves. She just wanted to put all of this behind her, but it was hard when half the town knew.

"Just look at me." Damon whispered, giving her a smoldering stare.

She did just that as he took her hand in his while his free hand wrapped itself around her waist. The rest of the world slipped away as she allowed him to spin her around the room. She felt the intense heat radiating off him and with his arm wrapped around her protectively, pulling her close, she felt safer than she had in a few days-safe, protected, calm. He still had this effect on her, given everything. Then again, she'd never doubted her feelings for him. She understood she still loved him dearly, her body's response to his mere presence proved that.

After a few minutes, the dance was over and he moved to pull away but she tightened her grip on his hand. She wasn't ready to let go-as soon as they left that dance floor things would go back to how they had been. The spell would be broken, and she wasn't ready for the pain to come back again.

"Elena, it's okay, let go." Damon whispered and she loosened her grip and allowed him to lead her on the lawn where everyone was socializing before they announced the winner.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Come walk with me for a minute?" Damon asked, motioning towards the line of trees on the edge of the Lockwood property.

"Just for a minute." Elena agreed. Once they were away from prying eyes and ears Damon turned to Elena.

"I'm so sorry I put you through this." He brushed a curl behind her ear. "The last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you, and that's precisely what I did by not coming out and being honest with you from the start."

Elena's eyes darted to the empty space beside his head and gave a small shrug. "It will pass. Aimee Bradley will get pregnant or Vicki Donovan will get too high at a party and everyone will move on to that."

Damon sighed and grasped her chin, pulling her face toward his. "Tell me what I can do."

Elena opened her mouth to tell him that there was nothing he could do, but stopped at the sight of Stefan hurrying over, a scowl distorting his features.

"Sorry, can I talk to Damon for a minute?" Stefan stepped closed, hesitating.

"What is it, Stef?" Damon's eyes darted to Elena in emphasis.

Stefan's lips thinned as he glanced at Elena. "Alone. Please?"

Elena gathered her dress and pulled away from Damon. "I'll see you around."

Elena headed back to the house, knowing they would announce the winners soon and Elena needed to be present for at least that much. She walked through the French doors and spotted Jenna and Alaric over by the donations table, quietly chatting. Before she could reach them, strong fingers gripped her arm and she was hauled around the corner.

"Caroline, seriously? Leave me-"

"Katherine's here." Caroline interrupted as she glanced around the corner before turning back to Elena.

"What? Why? Why is she here?"

Caroline gave a delicate shrug. "I have no idea, but after the dance Stefan and I were talking and she just walked over to us. She really does look a lot like you, Elena. It's kind of creepy."

"Gee, thanks." Elena brows knitted together in irritation. "What did she want?"

"She was just pulling the sweet and innocent act, sad that Damon refused to return her messages, confused about why Stefan wouldn't talk to her. Apparently, she and Stefan were pretty close back in Chicago. After we got her off our backs he said he was going to find Damon and warn him."

"He did." Elena wondered why Stefan felt the need to be so secretive to Damon about Katherine, but she was sure she'd find out soon enough. A few moments later, Mrs. Lockwood rushed Elena and Caroline to the back patio, where they were going to announce the winner of Miss Mystic Falls.

"Thank you all for coming out and helping us ring in the 150th anniversary of this town's founding with the Miss Mystic Falls pageant! I would like to announce a guest judge this year. She has been kind enough to offer a generous donation that will be put toward this year's upcoming project for the restoration committee."

"Miss Katherine Pierce!" Mrs. Lockwood called as Elena looked over to see her aunt escorting Katherine.

"What?" Caroline gave a muted gasp.

Elena watched as Jenna accepted the envelope from Katherine with a gracious smile before they both turned to the crowd for the photo op. Katherine had found a reason to be at the pageant after all. Elena wondered if she had planned to give a donation all along, or if she was just trying to weasel her way back into the Salvatore brothers' lives. Either way, it made Elena incredibly anxious.

After the round of polite applause had died down, Mrs. Lockwood handed the mic and sealed envelope to Katherine and stepped back. Katherine held her chin high and shook her long curls out of her face before she turned to the line of teenage girls.

"You know, I grew up in a big city so I never experienced pageants and founders' events, so I'm so happy to be a part of this one as a guest. This town means a lot to someone very close to me, and I would do anything to help the members of a town that helped shaped him into the amazing man he has become."

Elena followed Katherine's seductive smile to see it aimed at Damon and it took all her considerable grace to keep her face neutral while her blood boiled in anger. How dare this woman come to her home, accuse her boyfriend of such atrocities, and then stand in front of the town and act as if she was some sort of besotted little fool.

Katherine opened up the envelope in her hand and cleared her throat. "This year's Miss Mystic Falls is Caroline Forbes!" she announced with a toothy smile.

Elena smiled graciously and inclined her head slightly before turning to congratulate Caroline as she walked up to accept the crown from Mrs. Lockwood. The applause lasted for several seconds and then the girls exited the small platform and dispersed into the crowd to join their respective friends and family. Elena exited to the left of the stage, away from the crowd so she could take a few moments to collect herself.

"Elena, are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Stefan just told me she arrived and you were already up there before I could do anything."

"I'm fine, Damon." Elena forced herself to breathe slowly through her nose, not allowing the tears of anger to fall.

"You don't have to lie to me." Damon gently pulled her chin up to face him.

"Katherine's been trying to contact you?" Elena asked in confirmation.

"Yes," Damon sighed, "but I've ignored her. I promise we haven't spoken or even been in the same room since she first showed up."

Elena was silent for several moments. She desperately wanted to get away from the crowd, and as far away from Damon's ex as she possibly could. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to be alone with Damon yet. He had been great through everything, giving her space when she needed. But she wasn't sure what she wanted and where they stood and she didn't want to lead him on until she had worked things out herself. At the end, her need to be in a less pressured situation won out and she looked back up at him.

"You want to get out of here?"

Damon smiled in relief. "Absolutely."

* * *

Stefan watched Katherine stand by while Mrs. Lockwood crown Caroline. He had no idea what Katherine was up to, but he wasn't going to leave until she told him the truth.

"What are you doing here, Katherine?" Stefan sighed as she approached him. He was over Katherine and her drama. Once upon a time, he would have fallen for her antics, but not anymore. She had played Damon and Stefan's animosity and misunderstandings towards each other for her benefit, causing so much trouble.

"Oh, Stefan. That hurts. I thought you'd be more excited to see me." Katherine pouted as she sidled closer to Stefan.

"That was before I found out you lied."

A mischievous smirk grew on Katherine's face. "Touché."

"Look, you're not doing any favors for anyone. Damon hates you, I don't much like you, and don't even get me started on Elena and Caroline. I'd steer clear from them, they're out for blood." Stefan warned.

"Oh, but that's what makes it so much fun. That little girl and her lackey friend don't even know what 'out for blood' means."

Stefan knew she was laying out bait for him, and he refused to take it. She wanted to get a reaction out of him like she could so easily pull one out of Damon. But he refused to give her the satisfaction.

"It was nice talking to you, Katherine." Stefan gave a wooden smile as he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Katherine called.

The corners of Stefan's lips twitched as he inwardly cheered at his successful plan. Ignore Katherine and you'll get answers.

"Yes?"

"I'm here for Damon." she held her hand out desperately.

"Damon doesn't want you, Katherine. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not." Stefan shoved his hands in his pockets, ignoring her gesture.

Her hand flew to her hip, her moment of weakness over. "Sure he does." She scoffed. "He wanted to _marry_ me."

"Yeah, years ago. Things have changed, Katherine. Damon's moved on. He's with Elena and believe it or not, he's happy with her."

She let out a cruel laugh. "With that child? She's far too innocent for him. She wouldn't know how to handle him. We both know Damon is far too dark and damaged for her." She stepped closer to Stefan, placing a manicured hand on his shoulder.

"Well, it was nice chatting with you, Katherine. But my girlfriend is walking this way and we've got places to be. Have fun wreaking havoc in someone else's life." Stefan gave her an insincere smile before walking past Katherine to take Caroline's hand.


End file.
